


Warriors of the Wind

by moviefan_92



Category: Kaze no Tani no Naushika | Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Angst and Romance, Best Friends, Bugs & Insects, Declarations Of Love, Developing Friendships, Distopia, Drama, Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Fantasy, Female Friendship, Forests, Friends to Enemies, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Love, Love Confessions, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Princes & Princesses, Prophecy, Romance, Romantic Friendship, Science Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Slow Romance, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-09-21 17:27:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 46,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17047469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moviefan_92/pseuds/moviefan_92
Summary: Two years after the movie, Lord Yupa and Prince Asbel return from their travels in the toxic jungle. They’ve discovered a second part to the prophecy, revealing that Nausicaä has a much more important role than anyone thought, and that there is another important person involved with the prophecy. As they try to figure out the legend, Nausicaä and Asbel become close, and romance begins to blossom. But things get complicated when a prince from a neighboring kingdom arrives, asking for Nausicaä’s hand in marriage. This prince also has a deep connection with the earth, and seems to be able to control the giant insects better than Nausicaä herself. Could he be the other person in the prophecy? And what will become of Nausicaä and Asbel’s relationship now that another man has entered the picture?Adventure/Romance/Drama/Friendship/Fantasy/Sci-Fi. Pairings: Nausicaä and Asbel, Nausicaä and OC. Rated for some violence.STORY COMPLETE





	1. Reunions

**Author's Note:**

> (A/N: My "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" story has begun. But before I get started, I just want you all to know that this story is related to the movie, not the manga. There's lots of action, drama, and romance to come, so I hope you're up for it. This first chapter contains one of my many theories that I got when I saw the movie, including Nausicaä's true role in the prophecy. Don't immediately dismiss the idea when you read it, it will make sense. Hope you like it)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: My ""Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind story has begun. But before I get started, I just want you all to know that this story is related to the movie, not the manga. There's lots of action, drama, and romance to come, so I hope you're up for it. This first chapter contains one of my many theories that I got when I saw the movie, including Nausicaä's true role in the prophecy. Don't immediately dismiss the idea when you read it, it will make sense. Hope you like it)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Originally posted on 04/02/08 - 08/08/08 at: _<https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4172546/1/Warriors-of-the-Wind>_**

 

**" WARRIORS OF THE WIND"**

**Chapter 1: Reunions**

Princess Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind raced home on her glider. Mito had contacted her, via communicator, and told her that  _they_  had arrived. She was so excited, she hadn't seen them in two years.

Some movement inside her shirt caused her to giggle. "You're excited to see them too, aren't you, Teto?" Almost as if it were answering her, the little fox-squirrel squeaked, poking his head out of her shirt. Nausicaä smiled. "Yeah, it's going to be great seeing them again. I wonder what they've found."

Her valley was in sight. She was the ruler over all of it, ever since her father had been killed by the Tolmekians. It had been tragic, but so much had happened that she didn't even have time to grieve the loss of her father as event after event occurred. But for such a tale, one must go back to the beginning.

Over 1,000 years ago, Giant Warriors suddenly appeared. For seven days, which became known as the  _Seven Days of Fire,_  these mighty god-like beings completely incinerated the earth. Civilization was almost completely destroyed, and humanity was brought to the brink of extinction. But after the seventh day, all the Giant Warriors turned to stone.

Slowly, humanity began to come back, but nature evolved as well. Insects evolved and mutated into giant creatures, the dominant ones, known as Ohmu, became the guardians of the earth.

As for the earth itself, it had become polluted beyond belief from the  _Seven Days of Fire._  A toxic jungle, known as the Sea of Decay, grew over a majority of the planet. The insects alone were the only creatures capable of breathing in the toxic spores without being harmed by the poison. But slowly the poisonous plants petrified and crumbled into sand, purifying the earth once again. It would take thousands of years, but it would be done. The Ohmu would see to it.

But humanity was not as pure-hearted as the Ohmu. They needed a leader to show them the way, and to lead them out of the darkness. It was prophesized that such a person would come 1,000 years after the  _Seven Days of Fire._  And come they did.

It had started when the Pejites accidentally made a horrifying discover deep within the earth. One of the Giant Warriors from the  _Seven Days of Fire_  had never risen, with its brethren, nor had it turned to stone. It had yet to be born, and yet to unleash its own terrible power.

It was then that the Tolmekians attacked. When they received word that the Pejites had a dormant Giant Warrior in their possession, they became fearful. They, as a war-like society, feared that the Pejites would use the Giant Warrior to take over the world, which could easily be done with the god-like monster.

So they attacked. The Tolmekians invaded Pejite and took over. They held the princess, Lastella, hostage as they stole away the dormant Giant Warrior. What they hadn't counted on was that the Giant Warrior was too heavy to transport. The airship carrying it quickly ran out of power and crashed in the Valley of the Winds. There were no survivors.

But the Tolmekians didn't hesitate to take over the valley. After killing off Nausicaä's father, King Jhil, they easily gained control of the small kingdom. And with the knowledge that the Giant Warrior could not be moved, they began to bring it to life right where it was. They planned to use the monster's power to burn down the toxic jungle and wipe out all those that opposed them.

What they hadn't counted on was the Pejites fighting back in the only way they knew how. Knowing that they could not allow the Giant Warrior to be completed, they drew the Ohmu into the valley to ward off their enemies. This left the Tolmekians with no choice but to awaken the Giant Warrior before its body had completely grown.

At first, the Giant Warrior unleashed its mighty powers, revealing just how and why the entire planet had been nearly destroyed in just seven days, but due to its early awakening and incomplete birth, the mighty god-like being soon perished.

All that was left was to watch as the rampaging Ohmu continued to stampede, destroying all in their path. But Nausicaä would not let her people and kingdom be destroyed. In a heroic effort, she tried to stop the Ohmu's angry rampage, which resulted in her death. Touched by the princess' selfless and kind act, the Ohmu stopped their rampage. They then brought Nausicaä back to life, and revealed her to be the one in the prophecy.

And so, the war ended. Princess Kushana and her second-in-command officer, Kurotowa, led their army of Tolmekians out of the Valley of the Winds to return to their own kingdom, while the Pejites left to build a new kingdom for themselves.

Not all the Pejites left with the others. Lastella's twin brother, Prince Asbel, stayed in the Valley of the Winds until he left with infamous sword master, Lord Yupa, on a journey to explore the toxic jungle and other kingdoms.

That had been over two years ago. And now they had finally returned. Nausicaä was so happy that she could see her old friends again. She knew what to expect from Lord Yupa, but she wondered how much Asbel had changed. After all, being Yupa's apprentice couldn't be easy, but she was sure he had managed.

"Get ready, Teto," she told her pet, "we're coming in for a landing."

She directed the glider downward. A group of people were crowded around two others. The first person was a man in his forties with a large gray mustache, covering his mouth, hiding his facial expression.

Almost as if he sensed her presence, he looked up to see the princess come in for a landing. Beneath his mustache, a smile spread across his face. "Well, look what the wind blew in."

Smiling, Nausicaä hopped off her glider. "Hey, this is my valley. I never left. So technically, you're the one the wind blew in." She embraced the sword master. "It's great to see you again, Lord Yupa!"

The old man chuckled. "And you, my dear. I believe you've gotten taller."

Nausicaä smiled. "Well, two years is a long time."

"And you haven't changed a bit. Still enjoy running around in the toxic jungle, eh?"

"Hey, you're one to talk. You and Asbel have been running around in it these past two years." She looked around. "Where is Asbel, anyway? He did come back with you, didn't he?"

She heard a chuckle behind her. "Come on, now. I haven't changed that much."

Nausicaä turned and her eyes widened. Though he was dressed in rags, like Lord Yupa, and his face bore the start of a beard, indicating that he needed to shave, there was no mistaking the Prince of Pejite.

The years had been kind to him, as well as Lord Yupa's training. He was taller and more muscular. His hair had grown longer and he looked more mature. Regardless of his, at the moment, scruffy appearance from traveling in the toxic jungle for so long, he had become very attractive.

Finding her voice, Nausicaä addressed the prince. "Asbel, is that you?"

He smiled. "The one and only."

Releasing Lord Yupa, Nausicaä threw her arms around the Pejite prince. "Asbel, it's so good to see you."

Asbel hugged her back. "And you. I see things have been going well. Anything good happen?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yes. Did you know that I finally discovered the cure for the sickness the toxic jungle causes?"

"We were just telling them." Said one of the villagers. "Apparently, the answers were in the purified area of the toxic jungle."

"Well done, child." Said Lord Yupa. "You've made a fantastic discovery that will save many lives."

Nausicaä frowned slightly. "It only cures the disease. Now I'm trying to find a way to prevent anyone from getting it to begin with."

"I'm sure you'll find it." Said another villager. "We have faith in you, Princess."

"Maybe I can help." Asbel suggested. "Master taught me a lot about the toxic jungle."

Nausicaä smiled again. "Being Lord Yupa's apprentice can't be easy."

Asbel laughed. "I won't lie, it's been tough, but well worth it."

Nausicaä laughed. "Aw, has your master been pushing you too hard?" Lord Yupa cleared his throat. Nausicaä laughed again. "I'm just kidding. Come, you two must want to settle in and get refreshed."

Asbel nodded. "Sounds good to me." He ran his hand through his hair. "I could use a haircut, and a bath."

Lord Yupa nodded. "Yes, that sounds appealing. We must also speak with Obaba. Nausicaä, you must come as well." His face became serious. "There's something about the prophecy that we've discovered, and it's very important."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Nausicaä waited with Obaba for Lord Yupa and Asbel to return. Neither one of them were surprised that the two were taking so long to clean up; after all, they hadn't been around civilization for awhile, and it wasn't exactly easy to find a place to bathe in the toxic jungle.

"What do you think Lord Yupa and Asbel found out?" asked Nausicaä.

"I know not, child." Replied the old blind woman. "But we shall find out shortly. Perhaps they discovered what you must do to lead society into the light."

"I hope so," said Nausicaä, scratching Teto behind his ears, "because I have no idea what I'm supposed to do."

Obaba chuckled. "I don't think you truly have to do anything. I believe that things will just happen as they are meant to. But perhaps I am wrong. We shall see what our guests have to say." The door opened. "Ah, excellent timing."

Lord Yupa walked in, looking much cleaner, but otherwise unchanged, besides his mustache having received a small trim. Asbel came in after him, and Nausicaä felt her eyes widen. His hair was cut and his face was shaved, making him look more like the Asbel she remembered.

' _Was he always that attractive?'_  she wondered, feeling a blush coming on.

Asbel's eyes locked with hers and their gazes held for a moment. Nausicaä felt her blush deepen, and she looked away. Had she continued to look at the Pejite prince, she would have seen a small blush staining Asbel's cheeks as well.

"Lord Yupa, Prince Asbel, welcome back." Greeted Obaba. "How were your travels?"

"Very well, Obaba." Lord Yupa replied. "And how have things been in the Valley of the Wind?"

Obaba nodded. "All is as it should be." She turned to the Pejite prince. "Prince Asbel, you will be pleased to know that your people have long since settled down and began a new society."

Asbel smiled. "Yes, Nausicaä already told me, but thank you all the same."

"You are very welcome, child." She smiled expectantly. "Now, it's your turn to tell us what you've learned."

"Obaba!" Nausicaä cried. "That's rude."

The old woman laughed. "Forgive me, child, but you can't blame an old woman for being anxious."

Lord Yupa smiled. "It's quite alright. I'm sure Obaba has been wanting to hear what we've learned about the prophecy since we got back." He cleared his throat. "Very well, listen closely. For the last two years, we have believed that Nausicaä was the one the prophecy referred to. However, there were a few things that I wanted to check up on before I was convinced. The prophecy clearly states,  _'After a thousand years of darkness he will come, clad in blue and surrounded by fields of gold, to restore mankind's connection with the earth that was destroyed. And he will guide the people of this planet, at last, to a land of purity.'_  Though Nausicaä did indeed fit into place of the prophecy, I was still uncertain."

Obaba chuckled. "It is only natural that you would question the legend. Your destiny  _does_  revolve around the prophecy."

Lord Yupa ignored the comment. "As I was saying, I was still uncertain about the prophecy, so I did a background check. According to the legend, the prophesized one should come 1,000 years after the  _Seven Days of Fire._  But when I checked, from the time Nausicaä descended on the field of gold, it was not quite 1,000 years."

Nausicaä blinked. "Really? You actually searched through the books and checked?"

Lord Yupa nodded. "More than once. I wanted to be sure."

Obaba scratched her chin. "Hmm, we had never checked to be sure. We had just assumed it was 1,000 years. It has been about that long."

"Close." Asbel replied. "When Nausicaä was saved by the Ohmu, it had only been 998 years since the  _Seven Days of Fire_."

Lord Yupa nodded. "Yes, we were off. But that wasn't the only thing that held my uncertainty. The prophecy clearly states that  _he_  will come, and that  _he_  will guide us. On top of that, the figure in the prophecy is a man as well."

Obaba crossed her arms. "I see your point, Lord Yupa. Perhaps, in our moment of joy at discovering the princess being alive, we jumped to conclusions."

Lord Yupa nodded. "That was my assumption."

Nausicaä frowned. "So… I'm not the prophesized one?" she asked, feeling both relieved and sad about this.

"No, not quite." Lord Yupa replied.

"But you still have an important role." Asbel added. "Perhaps more important that the prophesized one himself."

Nausicaä cocked her head to the side, thinking. "What role could I play that's more important than the prophesized one?"

"There's more to the prophecy." Said Asbel. "There was a second verse, one we didn't know of."

"But through our journeys, we've discovered the rest of the prophecy." Lord Yupa concluded.

Obaba was beyond herself. "Tell us, what is the second verse."

Lord Yupa recited the prophecy in its entirety.  _"After a thousand years of darkness he will come, clad in blue and surrounded by fields of gold, to restore mankind's connection with the earth that was destroyed. And he will guide the people of this planet, at last, to a land of purity."_  He paused to take a deep breath, and said the second verse.  _"But he will be influenced by the darkness that humanity has fallen into and in need of a guide. He will follow the one that walked the golden road before him. She shall be his soul mate and guide as he leads the people into the light. And together, they shall join bonds with the great earth."_

With that said, he looked at Nausicaä, letting her digest this new information. The princess was silent as everything registered to her.

"So… what exactly does that mean for me?" she asked.

"Child, the message was clear; do you not understand it?" said Obaba.

"I just want to be sure."

Obaba sighed. "Lord Yupa, you have the most knowledge on this, you should explain."

"Very well." The sword master replied. "Nausicaä, you are not the one to lead the people into the light. You are the guide of the one that will. You, clad in blue, walked the golden rode before him. The true prophesized one, whoever they are, will not be as intoned with the earth as you are. You will show them the way, and he shall show the rest of us. It will be by your guide that the prophesized one shall show us the way."

Nausicaä thought about this. "So it's up to me to find and lead the one the prophecy truly speaks of."

Asbel nodded. "And he will lead the rest of society."

"And…" Nausicaä blushed. "He will be my… soul mate."

Lord Yupa nodded. "I think it is safe to say that you will fall in love with the prophesized one, and he with you." He sighed. "And I think it will happen soon. This year is the thousandth year since the  _Seven Days of Fire._ "

Obaba's blind eyes shot open. "That means…"

Again, Lord Yupa nodded. "Yes, the true prophesized one will arrive this year." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: The first chapter is done. I know the first part was a recap on the movie, but it's like that with a lot of my stories during the first chapter. By the way, how do you like the way I changed Nausicaä's roll in the prophecy. Her responsibility is now just as great, perhaps even greater than the true prophesized one. She will be their guide. That's a pretty important job. Without her, there will be no prophesized one. But who is the person the legend speaks of. That won't be revealed for awhile yet. So tell me what you think, and I'll see you next time.)


	2. Graveyard Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Sorry this took so long. Had a bit of trouble getting started after the first chapter. I'm glad not too many people were upset about me changing Nausicaä's role in the prophecy. If anything, I think it gives her can even more important job than the actual prophesized one, since she going to be influencing him. Anyway, hope you enjoy the next chapter. I snuck a few Studio Ghibli references in here, just as I love to do.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 2: Graveyard Talk**

Despite the late hour, a single figure walked through the Valley of the Wind. They walked down the road until they came to an area that was completely fenced in. As they approached the gate, they saw a sign that said:  _Here lie the dead. Mourn not their deaths, but rejoice for the lives they had, and pray for their eternal peace in the next world._

Nausicaä's hand gently ran over the words on the sign before she entered the cemetery. She had come here before to pay her respects to the dead plenty of times, but tonight she had come because she needed to talk. True, the dead never answered her, not with words, but that never meant she still didn't get a reply.

Coming across two identical tombstones, Nausicaä dropped to her knees as she traced her finger over the names on the tombstones.

"Hello Mother, hello Father." She said quietly. "It's Nausicaä. How have you been? I've been pretty good. Lots of things have happened since I last visited." She chuckled. "I know you probably already know what I'm about to tell you, but I still wish to speak with you. You see, Lord Yupa and Asbel came back yesterday after being away for two years." A smile crossed her lips. "I know, it's great. I really missed them both. Lord Yupa's training has really had an impact on Asbel; I can tell. I wish you could have met him, I know you would have liked him."

She shook her head, realizing that she was getting off topic. "But they came with some rather interesting news regarding me and the prophecy. According to what they found out, there's a second verse, one we didn't know of. Apparently, I'm not the prophesized one, as we had originally thought." She blushed slightly. "I'm… I'm their soul mate. I'm supposed to guide the true prophesized one, to show him the way into the light, and he shall guide the people of this planet out of the darkness."

She moved from a kneeling position and sat down. Her arms hugging her legs. "It's all so overwhelming. I know that when we first thought I was the prophesized one that it was also hard to grasp, but after two years, I sort of became used to the idea. Now I find out that I have a different role entirely, one that's maybe even more important.

"Also, Lord Yupa did a background check and discovered that this year is the thousandth year since the  _Seven Days of Fire_. That means that the true prophesized one will arrive this year." Her bottom lip trembled slightly. "I'm at a loss at what to do. Obaba says that I don't really have to do anything, and that when the situation comes I will handle it and things will work out, but I still don't know. To be honest, I'm scared."

"Nausicaä?"

The princess jumped when her name was called. She turned around to find Asbel watching her. She felt somewhat irritated, had he been spying on her?

"Asbel, what are you doing here?" she demanded, trying to keep her irritation out of her voice.

He walked towards her. "I thought I heard your voice." His eyes fell upon the two graves Nausicaä was sitting by. "King Jhil and Queen Zandra." He read. His gaze shifted to Nausicaä. "Your parents?" He received a nod. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. I was visiting Lastella's grave and I heard voices."

Nausicaä's irritation turned to shame. Of course, he had been visiting his sister, not spying on her. She should have known better, Asbel wasn't like that.

"You're not intruding." She told him. "You have as much right to be here as I do." She turned back to her parents' graves. "I was just talking to my parents."

"Sorry." Asbel repeated. "I'll leave you alone."

"You can stay." The words were out of her mouth before she had really even thought about it, but she realized it was true, she wanted him to stay.

"You sure?"

She nodded. "I don't want to be alone right now."

Asbel hesitated before sitting down next to her. Silence followed after that. Asbel felt like he should say something, but couldn't think of anything. He finally settled for, "You really miss them, huh?"

Nausicaä nodded. "Yes, but I know I'll see them again some day."

"They would be proud of you." said Asbel. "I may not have known them, but I know that they would be proud."

"Thanks." Nausicaä smiled sadly. "I just wish I could have saved them. My mother died from the sickness of the toxic jungle, and my father… he was killed when the Tolmekians invaded."

Asbel gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry."

Nausicaä sighed. "That's why I despise violence. It only brings pain and misery."

Asbel's eyes narrowed. "That's just the way the Tolmekians do things. Take over a kingdom, kill the leader, and take control. They did the same thing to Pejite. My father was killed in the attack too. They took Lestella hostage to make sure we would listen to them." He clenched his fists. "All because we discovered that Giant Warrior. I wish we never found it. Then Pejite wouldn't have suffered." He looked down shamefully. "Then the Valley of the Wind wouldn't have suffered." He looked at Nausicaä sadly. "I feel like I owe you an apology. It was because of us that the Tolmekian's invaded you land. If the Giant Warrior was never discovered-"

"Don't blame yourself." Nausicaä interrupted. "It's not like you wanted to find the warrior. You just had the misfortune to stumble across it."

"I guess that's true." The Pejite prince replied. "But still, that doesn't excuse what we did with the Ohmu. We knew it was dangerous, and most of us were completely against the idea, but we had no other way of beating the Tolmekians, and we couldn't let them awaken the warrior. Even so, if I had known then what drawing the Ohmu into the city would do, I would never have let them."

Nausicaä felt pity for him. "You did what you had to in order to survive, although you're right, that doesn't excuse or justify what your people did."

"I know, and I'm ashamed of it. I guess we got what we deserved."

"Don't say that!" Nausicaä cried. "Don't you ever say that! I agree that what you did was wrong, but that doesn't mean you deserved what happened to you."

"Perhaps." Asbel replied. He looked up at the cloudy night sky. "Maybe it was our past sins finally catching up with us."

Nausicaä gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"

Still looking at the sky, Asbel asked, "Have you ever heard of the flying castle, Laputa?" Nausicaä shook her head. "It was once a civilization with technology beyond anything we could imagine, before it was abandoned. My family is actually descendants from the Laputain royal family."

"Really?"

He nodded. "Yeah. It's also believed that the Giant Warriors originally came from Laputa. Some of my people believed that was the reason why there was a dormant warrior under Pejite." He sighed. "If that's true, then my ancestors are responsible for the  _Seven Days of Fire._ "

"But not you!" Nausicaä cried. "You can't blame yourself for what your ancestors did. Even if what you say is true, that doesn't make you or anyone else in your family responsible."

Asbel perked up a bit. "Maybe."

Nausicaä gave him a smile. "To tell you the truth, my family has a bit of a dark history too. It was long before the  _Seven Days of Fire_ , but it still happened. I'm a descendant of the royal Cagliostro family. Some of them, who were considered the dark side of the family, produced a the largest amount of flawless counterfeit dollars all over the world called Goat Bills."

Asbel's eyes widened. "Really?"

"It was put to an end after the current count was defeated by my ancestor and a thief, but still, so much crime for so long still happened." She turned to the Pejite prince. "Does that mean my family and I should be punished for what my ancestors did so long ago?" Asbel shook his head. "And neither should you. Besides, what you claim is just a theory. No one really knows where the Giant Warriors came from or how they came to be. So don't worry about what happened 1,000 of years ago. All we can do is hope for a better future."

Asbel chuckled. "Actually, that's your job. I can help, but it's up to you and the prophesized one to make it happen."

Nausicaä frowned, as her earlier worries came back to her. She sighed and hugged her legs, resting her chin on her knees. "Yeah, that's true."

Asbel noticed her distress. "So… you're scared, huh?"

Nausicaä gave him a surprised look. "What?"

"Sorry!" said Asbel quickly. "I heard you say it to your parents."

The princess rested her chin on her knees again. "Oh."

There was silence again as Asbel considered his next words. "Do you want to talk about it? I'll listen to whatever you have to say."

Nausicaä regarded him for a moment. "It's just, so much is happening. I find out my role in the prophecy isn't what I thought it would be for the past two years, the true prophesized one is supposed to come this year." She blushed. "And they're supposed to be my soul mate."

Asbel's eyes narrowed as he tried to keep the irritation from showing on his face. "Is that bothering you? Don't you want to find someone to be with?"

"Of course I do!" Nausicaä cried. "I just never thought it would be based on a prophecy. I feel like one of those princesses from a long time ago when they were engaged to someone at birth, with no say in the matter. It's like my future was chosen for me."

Asbel tapped his chin, trying to find something to say that would make her feel better. "Well, maybe it is up to you and not destiny."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, with the way you're making it out, you're supposed to fall in love with the prophesized one. Maybe it's the other way around. Maybe the person you fall in love with  _becomes_  the prophesized one."

Nausicaä blinked. She had never considered that as a possibility. A smile crept up her face. "Maybe. I never thought about it that way before." Her smile became a small frown as her brow furrowed in thought. "Oh, but now that makes me feel guilty."

Asbel raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Sighing, Nausicaä laid down, looking up at the night sky. "Then that would mean that I would be forcing the responsibility of the prophecy onto the one I love."

Asbel just smiled. "Oh, don't worry about that. Anyone would do anything to be with you."

Nausicaä blushed slightly and laughed. "Oh, Asbel, you're such a flatterer."

"No, I'm serious." Said Asbel, all joking aside. "You deserve someone that would be willing to do anything to make you happy." He paused for a moment. "I know I would."

Nausicaä gave him a surprised look. Asbel looked away, feeling very embarrassed. He had been caught up in the moment and said too much.

"What do you mean?" she asked slowly.

Asel felt himself beginning to turn red. "Nothing." He quickly stood up. "Sorry, but I just remembered that Lord Yupa wanted to see me right after I visited Lestella. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."

"Asbel?"

He ignored her and took off, not running, but not walking either. Nausicaä looked confused. Had she been hearing things, or did Asbel say what she thought he did? If so, what did he mean? Did he mean that he…

"Asbel," she whispered, "were you trying to tell me something?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Ok you romantics, I hope you enjoyed that little scene between Nausicaä and Asbel. You'll be seeing more of that in the future. There will also be competition for Nausicaä's affection. That is going to be fun to right about. Oh, just got an idea for next chapter. I'll see ya next time.)


	3. A Day in the Sea of Decay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: VERY IMPORTANT! Ok everyone, before I get my next chapter started, I have an important message for you all. There is a new computer virus going around, and it's not pretty. Norton Anti-Virus is gearing up for this virus! I checked , and it is for real! Tell as many people as you can about it. Here are the detail:
> 
> Do not open any message with an attachment entitled "POSTCARD", regardless of who sent it to you. It is a virus which opens A POSTCARD IMAGE, which 'burns' the whole hard disc C of your computer. This virus will be received from someone who has your e-mail address in his/her contact list. If you receive a mail called "POSTCARD", even though sent to you by a friend, do not open it! Shut down your computer immediately. This is the worst virus announced by CNN. It's been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever. This virus was discovered by McAfee yesterday, and there is no repair yet for this kind of virus. This virus simply destroys the Zero Sector of the Hard Disc, where the vital information is kept.
> 
> I hope I saved at least one person from getting this virus. Honestly, you would think that people would have better things to do than to create computer viruses. Anyway, now that all the serious stuff is out of the way, on with the story.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 3: A Day in the Sea of Decay**

Nausicaä couldn't sleep. Thoughts kept swirling around in her head. She couldn't stop thinking about what Asbel had said before he ran off in a hurry. Such statements weren't uncommon to her. Her people would constantly say that they would do anything for their princess, but Asbel had seemed like he had meant something else.

Something soft and furry rubbed up against her. Nausicaä smiled and petted her little fox-squirrel. "Hey, Teto. You can't sleep either, huh?" The little critter licked her cheek. "Awe, are you worried about me? You're a good friend. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'm just confused right now."

She sighed and went to the window, looking out at her sleeping kingdom. She needed to talk to someone that could ease her mind. Normally she would speak to Obaba or Lord Yupa, when he was around. They would usually be able to help her with anything. But it was late, and Obaba was old and needed her sleep, and Lord Yupa had just gotten back from being away for two years, he deserved some time to relax. She could talk to them in the morning, but in the meantime, she was losing a night's worth of sleep.

Deciding that if she wasn't going to be able to get to sleep, she decided to do something useful and headed to her secret lab. The room was filled with the toxic jungle's beautiful plant life, which would otherwise be poisonous to her had she not found a way to purify them. Strangely enough, all it had taken was clean water and soil. This had been a major discovery. After the earth had been polluted by the  _Seven Days of Fire_ , all the plant life that had grown had absorbed the toxins in the soil, which produced the toxic spores that were fatal to all but the insects that had evolved to be able to breathe in the poison.

"Someday, everyone will be able to appreciate your beauty without worrying about being poisoned." She said to the plants in the room. She gently touched one of the flowers' soft petals. "Too bad I won't live to see the day, but at least I'll see the start of it."

She thought back to the purified canyon under the toxic forest. She had discovered multiple canyons just like it. The planet was slowly but surely purifying itself. It would take 1,000 years, but it would be done.

"As long as no one interferes." She whispered.

There have been several attempts made by humanity to 'cleanse' the planet by burning the toxic jungle. Nausicaä knew that this was wrong, as well as dangerous. It would do more harm to the earth than good. The Ohmu knew this as well. Any attempts to harm the toxic jungle would send them into a fit of rage that caused them to destroy the jungle's threat. Then the toxic spores would spread over the area they destroyed. So really, any of attempts people made to purify the planet was doing nothing more than making the process take longer.

"Teto, no!" Nausicaä cried, as the little fox-squirrel began pawing at one of the plants, sending  _non_ toxic spores flying around the room. She went over to him and picked him up, scratching behind the fox-squirrel's ears. "Don't do that."

Teto just purred and crawled up onto her shoulder, rubbing against her cheek. Nausicaä chuckled, unable to stay angry at her pet. He was always curious about the plants since he had never been around them when in the wild, lest he be poisoned.

"Maybe I could make a little mask for you." said the princess. "Then you could come with me when I go into the toxic forest." She looked out the window again and smiled. "I think I'll ask Asbel to come with me tomorrow."

Little did she know, Asbel would be sleeping in late tomorrow, for he too was unable to sleep.

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Groaning in frustration, the Pejite prince rolled over, trying to get more comfortable. Well, it wasn't really the comfort that was the problem, he was just plain restless at the moment. He also kept muttering to himself how stupid he had been for saying what he had said to Nausicaä earlier.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one losing sleep over his stupidity. The room's other occupant was being kept awake from all the noise the prince was making.

"Asbel, will you please keep quiet." Lord Yupa begged. "It's been a long time since I've slept in an actual bed, and I would actually like to get some sleep."

Asbel sighed. "I'm sorry, Master. I just can't get to sleep."

Lord Yupa had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. "I'm aware of that. Now tell me what the problem is."

"What problem?"

"Asbel…" Lord Yupa sighed. "You are my pupil. Do you not think that I can tell when something is bothering you?"

Asbel realized that he should have known that he couldn't lie to his master. But that didn't mean that he was about to tell the sword master everything. "Just, something happened today that I wish could have been different."

"Ah." Said Lord Yupa, as if he understood everything. "Something with Nausicaä perhaps?"

Asbel blinked. How had he been able to figure that out? "Um… sort of. We were talking, and the prophecy came up, and I may have said something I shouldn't have."

Lord Yupa closed his eyes, hoping to end the conversation and get some sleep. "Don't worry, Nausicaä is very forgiving. Whatever you said, she's already forgiven you."

Asbel shook his head, even though Lord Yupa couldn't see him. "No, I didn't say anything bad… I hope. I just said something that I would have preferred to keep to myself."

Lord Yupa smiled slightly. "Is that why you came running over to me all out of breath?"

Asbel groaned, remembering how he had claimed that Lord Yupa had wanted to see him so he could get away from Nausicaä. "Sort of."

"Well, what did you tell her?"

Asbel blushed. There was no way he was going to say something he regretted twice. "It's nothing. I'll deal with it myself."

Lord Yupa nodded. "Very well. Just do it in the morning and go to sleep now."

Asbel sighed. That was easier said than done.

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Nausicaä stretched as she exited her castle. Teto crawled up her extended limbs and settled on her shoulder, rubbing his furry cheek against hers affectionately. The princess smiled and patted the fox-squirrel's head. She noticed a short distance away a group of people watching something. Curious, she wandered over to them to see what was going on.

Lord Yupa was in the middle of the group, performing morning exercises. Regardless of being kept up late by Asbel, he would always rise with the sun and be unable to get back to sleep.

Nausicaä looked impressed as Lord Yupa's sword swung through the air. Even in his old age, he still had the stability he had as a youth. She wondered if he would be willing to teach her some swordplay. True, she was somewhat skilled in combat, but she had always considered learning more self-defense.

Of course, that was considering he stayed in the valley. As Obaba said, Lord Yupa's destiny involved discovering the true nature of the prophecy. Perhaps he would stay here once the legend truly came to pass. She hoped so, Lord Yupa was like a second father to her. But if he did leave, she would wish him the best of luck with his travels.

This made her think of Asbel. If Lord Yupa left, would he go with him? Lord Yupa was Asbel's master, maybe he would. Nausicaä felt a deep feeling of sadness at the thought of the Pejite prince leaving again. She would very much like for him to stay; Lord Yupa too.

"He's been at it for over an hour." someone next to her said, bringing Nausicaä out of her thoughts. "I wish I could do that."

Nausicaä smiled. For as long as she had known Lord Yupa, which was all her life, he had always taken his swordplay very seriously. He and he father had been the greatest sword masters around. Then came the day Lord Yupa began his search to discover the nature of the legend. Though he wasn't as skilled as Lord Yupa, her father had taught her some swordplay, until the disease of the toxic jungle had made him too weak to continue.

The thought made her frown. If only she had discovered the cure sooner. Then maybe he would have been able to defend himself against the Tolmekians. But it wasn't meant to be. In a way, she had lost both her parents due to the toxic jungle's poison.

It had started with her mother. After she died from the toxic jungle's disease, Nausicaä had begun to try and find a cure. Then her father had come down with the same disease, rendering him unable to get out of bed. She hadn't been able to save them, but at least she could now save others, and was working on finding a vaccine that prevented anyone from catching the toxic jungle's disease to begin with.

Most people would assume that Nausicaä would hate the toxic jungle. She had every right to; it was responsible for her parents' deaths, along with so many others. But she didn't. It was just a natural part of the planet that had a negative impact on people. Nature had evolved and adapted the best it could, and was continuing to do so to make life habitable again for all life, and not just the insects. If anyone was at fault, it was the Giant Warriors. It was them that had nearly wiped out humanity, and it was because of the  _Seven Days of Fire_  that the planet was polluted. No one knew where they came from or why they were intent on destroying the earth, but thankfully, their bloodthirsty rampage had ended after only seven days; although that was long enough to nearly return humanity to the stone age.

This made her think of what Asbel had said about his ancestors possibly being the ones that created the Giant Warriors. She didn't see how it was possible, but even if it was true, she held no grudge against him and his people whatsoever. She wasn't going to blame him or his people for what his long dead ancestors did.

She suddenly realized for the first time that Asbel wasn't among them. She looked around the crowd, trying to spot the Pejite prince, but saw no sight of him.

"Is something wrong. Princess?" asked one of the people.

Nausicaä shook her head. "No, I'm just wondering where Asbel is."

"Still sleeping." Lord Yupa replied, pausing in his exercises to answer her. "He normally trains with me, but something was bothering him last night and he didn't get to sleep until late. So I'm letting him sleep in."

With that, he returned to his exercises. Nausicaä tapped her chin, wondering what could have caused the Pejite prince to lose sleep. Could it have been what they were talking about last night? She shrugged. Maybe they could discuss it later, if he was willing to talk, that is.

She went back inside and went to the room Asbel and Lord Yupa were staying in. She suddenly felt very nervous. She didn't know why. She was just going to ask him to come exploring with her in the toxic jungle; although, now that she thought about it, he had been practically living in the Sea of Decay for the past two years.

She shook her head. She had absolutely nothing to be nervous about. What was wrong with two friends spending the day together? Perhaps he could show her what he had learned about the toxic jungle, and she could show him a few things she knew.

Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand to knock on the door. She paused. What was wrong with her? Why was her heart pounding so hard? It was just Asbel; she shouldn't be this nervous.

She felt a small pressure on her leg. She looked down and saw Teto pushing on her leg. She couldn't help but smiling. "Are you encouraging me?" Teto blinked up at her and squeaked. "It's not like this is a big deal. We haven't had much of a chance to catch up yet. This is just a chance to find out what happened the past two years."

Teto squeaked again and pushed on her leg some more. Nausicaä chuckled and knocked on the door. There was no answer, so she knocked louder.

"Coming." Came Asbel's voice from the other side.

Nausicaä stiffened when she heard his voice. Why was she acting like a giddy teenager? She shook her head to clear it as the door opened. She gasped and blushed when she saw Asbel standing before her, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He was topless, and Nausicaä couldn't help but notice his firm muscles. She felt her blush deepen.

Asbel moved his hand out of his range of vision and blinked when he saw the princess standing before him. "Nausicaä?" he gasped, surprised to find her here; he had been expecting Lord Yupa.

"Um… hi." She said. Her heart was pounding again, but not from nervousness this time. "I was just wondering if you wanted to come exploring in the toxic jungle… with me."

Asbel felt very exposed, even though it was just his shirt that was missing. Why had he just assumed that it had been his master? How could he have known it was Nausicaä? He really wished he was more descent right now.

Then what she had said registered to him. She wanted him to go exploring with her?

"You don't have to." She said quickly. "I was just wondering if-"

"Sure, sounds great!" he interrupted. "Just give me a few minutes to get ready."

Nausicaä couldn't hide the joyful look on her face. "Great. I'll meet you out front."

"See you there."

He closed the door, and Nausicaä heard him scurrying about to get ready. Cheeks flaming, she hurried away, briefly wondering if she had just asked Asbel out on a date.

"No," she told herself, "we're just friends."

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"You really know you way around her." Asbel noted, as he followed Nausicaä through the toxic jungle.

The princess chuckled. "Of course, I come out here all the time. It's so beautiful and fascinating."

Asbel cocked his head to the side, observing their surroundings. "Yeah, I guess I can see what you mean. Too bad we'll die in minutes if we take our masks off."

"Look past that, Asbel!" Nausicaä cried. "Yes, the spores are dangerous, but just stop and appreciate the beauty in everything around you. It's simply amazing."

Asbel raised an eyebrow. "Toxic spores capable of killing you are amazing?"

Nausicaä sighed and shook her head. "The jungle is alive, Asbel. After the  _Seven Days of Fire_ , the earth managed to pull itself back together and flourish once more. It may be deadly now, but it's working on that. It won't be poisonous forever. It's evolving and adapting to sustain life once more."

Asbel crossed his arms and looked around again, suddenly having new appreciation form the toxic jungle. "I guess I never looked at it like that. I guess when you think about it, it is pretty amazing."

"Isn't it!" Nausicaä exclaimed, glad that he was understanding. She walked over to a strange yet beautiful flower. She gently grazed it with her finger. A small shower of spores fell from it, making it look like snow falling from it. "It's so beautiful. I love it here."

"Yeah, it is nice." He chuckled. "Too bad the insects are the only ones that can live here."

"I have as much respect for the insects as I do for people." Nausicaä replied. "They have the deepest respect for the earth and all living things."

Asbel's gaze drifted upwards, to where several giant insects were flying overhead. "I guess I see what you mean about them being respectful to the earth, but they are a bit vicious."

Nausicaä shrugged. "Only when provoked. It's in their nature." She turned to look at him. "Has an Ohmu ever touched you?"

Asbel nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

Nausicaä shook her head. "I don't mean just making physical contact with it, I mean has one ever  _touched_  you."

The Pejite prince gave her a confused look. "I don't understand what you mean."

"That's a no, then." Nausicaä replied. "Do you remember back when I almost died from the Ohmu stampede?" She received a nod. "Those gold tentacles that they used to carry me, they're also a method of communication. They allowed me to feel what they were feeling and understand them as if I too was an Ohmu, and vice versa."

Asbel looked astounded by this news. "You seriously communicated with them like that?"

Nausicaä nodded. "There's no way to describe the feeling. You have to experience it for yourself."

Asbel glanced back at the insects. "Maybe some other time."

Nausicaä shrugged. "Suit yourself. I can understand your hesitation, but they're not bad creatures. Just leave them alone, and they'll leave you alone."

She turned and wandered further into the jungle. Asbel followed close behind as he thought about what Nausicaä had said. He had always been told to avoid the insects. Even Lord Yupa told him to stay away from the enormous bugs. But Nausicaä actually made contact with them. Perhaps she was right.

"Maybe this way." Nausicaä muttered to herself.

"What was that?" asked Asbel, not hearing her.

"What? Oh?" She chuckled. "Back when I stopped the stampede of Ohmu, I jumped off my old glider. It blew somewhere in the toxic jungle, and I haven't seen it since. I've always tried to find it, although I doubt I will. It's kind of fun though, like a treasure hunt."

Asbel laughed. "Just be careful you don't fall into one of those underground caverns again."

Nausicaä also laughed. "Just stay away from the sand, and you have nothing to worry about. But I've been looking for those caverns. I found several of them already. Some of them even have plant life growing in them. Nonpoisonous plant life. Eventually, all that will replace the toxic forest, and the earth will be balanced once more."

Asbel nodded. "Yeah, it's just too bad it's going to take so long, but I guess it can't be helped." He sighed. "I just wish there was a faster way."

"Progress takes time." Nausicaä replied. "If we rush it, things will just go wrong."

"I know." Asbel replied, think of how his people and the Tolmekians had planned to use the Giant Warrior to burn down the entire Sea of Decay. Now that he thought about it, if they had done that, it would have been no different from the  _Seven Days of Fire_. The earth would have been polluted again, and a new Sea of Decay would have grown in the old one's place. The only thing that using the Giant Warrior would have done was make the earth take another 1,000 years to purify itself.

"This looks good." Said Nausicaä, taking a sample of a toxic plant.

Asbel walked over to her and looked at the sample. "So, you use these spores to grow nonpoisonous plants?"

Nausicaä nodded. "All it takes is clean soil and water."

Abel crossed his arms. "Who would have thought?"

"I was just experimenting with them and I figured it out." She smiled. "You never know what's going to happen when you try new things." She turned to Asbel. "So, do you still not want to try making contact with the insects?"

Asbel sighed. "Do I have to?"

"You scared?" she teased.

Asbel knew she was just kidding and smiled. "Actually, yes. I have a little problem with willingly going up to a creature that will kill me without a second thought."

Nausicaä lightly smacked his shoulder. "I told you they're not like that. Now come on." She grabbed his hand and began pulling him along.

"Ok, ok, I'm coming. You don't have to drag me."

Reluctantly, he let Nausicaä lead him through the toxic jungle until they came across an Ohmu. It was young, but it was still three times bigger than them.

"Hello, Ohmu!" she called.

The Ohmu reacted, turning to the two, of them. It let out a strange moaning noise, that Nausicaä seemed to take as a greeting.

"Um, Nausicaä, I'm not so sure about this." Asbel muttered.

"It's fine." She replied. "As long as we don't make it feel threatened, we're in no danger." She seemed so confident. She turned back to the Ohmu, approaching it with no fear. "Nice to meet you, Ohmu. I'm not sure if I've met you before, but it's always good to make new friends."

The Ohmu moaned again. Nausicaä couldn't understand what it was saying, but she could understand what it meant. It was almost like when a person had a pet for so long, they're eventually able to understand it based upon its movements and the sounds it makes.

The Ohmu began crawling closer. Nausicaä let it come to her. Golden tentacles snaked out of its mouth. The princess held out her hands to it. The tentacles lightly grazed her open palms, giving her its emotions and thoughts, and receiving hers in return.

"There's a good Ohmu." Said Nausicaä. She turned to Asbel. "See, it won't hurt you as long as it doesn't feel threatened."

Asbel hesitantly nodded. "Right, don't let it feel threatened."

Smiling, Nausicaä turned back to the large insect. "Ohmu, I have a friend I would like you to meet. You don't need to feel threatened by him. He's a good person, but he's a little afraid of you, so be a good boy." She turned back to Asbel, motioning for him to come over.

"I don't know." he muttered.

"Come on. It wants to meet you."

Asbel hesitated before finally working up the courage to approach the big bug. He kept close watch on the creature's eyes, afraid that they would turn red at any moment.

"Talk to it." Nausicaä encouraged. "It can understand you."

Feeling very stupid for talking to a bug, Asbel started speaking. "Uh, hi, Ohmu. I really like your jungle, even though the spores in it can kill me."

Nausicaä burst out laughing. Asbel glared at her, and she covered her mouth to stifle her giggles. "I'm sorry." she said. "It's just, what a way to start a conversation."

"I don't know what to say to it."

"Just talk to it like you would talk to me."

Asbel sighed. "I've never really spoken to a bug befo- AH!"

He jumped back as one of the Ohmu's golden tentacles brushed against him.

"Relax." Nausicaä told him. "It's just examining you. Let it get to know you a bit."

Asbel swallowed and nodded. He let the Ohmu slide its tentacles over him. They weren't slimy or unpleasant. Actually, they felt like strands of velvet brushing against his skin.

At that moment, Asbel understood what it meant to be  _touched_ by an Ohmu. He suddenly felt very exposed to the large insect before him. He also felt as if he suddenly merged with the Ohmu, as if he  _was_  the Ohmu, but also himself. He felt the Ohmu's emotions as if they were his own, and thought its thoughts as if he was thinking them.

The Ohmu was glad that another human had come. It was about time humans began to realize that they weren't just creatures that killed anything that dared to enter their territory. It hoped that more would come, and they could learn to understand each other and live peacefully. It was just as curious about humans as they were of them. They were also fearful. Humans tended to be destructive and reckless. They destroyed what they were afraid of, and acted without thinking. Didn't they know that everything would turn out all right? Things may seem bad now, but all will be well again. If only humans would stop interfering with nature, then things could progress as they should. Hopefully, more humans, like these two, would come and learn to the ways of the earth again, just as they had so long ago. These two humans were the first step in that direction. Others will be encouraged by them, and the connection between mankind and the earth will be come once again.

The strange sensation of being connected to the Ohmu left Asbel as the insect removed its tentacles. The Pejite prince felt slightly dazed from the strange union he and the Ohmu had once had.

Nausicaä came up to him, giving him an expected look. "Well, how do you feel?"

Asbel struggled to find his voice. "Wow… that was… wow."

Nausicaä chuckled. "My thoughts exactly when I was first  _touched_. There are no words to describe it."

"I'll say." Asbel agreed. "It was almost as if  _I_  was the Ohmu. I think I understand more now."

Nausicaä smiled. "I'm glad."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Wasn't that sweet. I was trying to do something similar to the part of the movie when Nausicaä and the others crashed into the Ohmu nest and they communicated with her, just before she had to go rescue Asbel. And how about the beginning of the chapter? Can you say denial? But things are going to start getting complicated, so leave me a review and I'll get to work on the next chapter.)


	4. The Kalvandirs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Hey people, I'm back. The next chapter has arrived. You romantics are going to be really angry with me by the time this one is over. But this is when things are going to start to get interesting.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 4: The Kalvandirs**

"Come on, admit it." Said Nausicaä with a grin. "You had fun, didn't you?"

Asbel sighed, but was unable to keep the smile off his face. "Yes, ok, I had fun. I've never gone out into the toxic jungle just for fun before; even when I was with Lord Yupa. But I did enjoy myself."

"Told you." said Nausicaä smugly. "Tomorrow I'll show you one of the purified caverns I found." She hesitated. "That is… if you want to come."

"Of course!" said Asbel excitedly. "I'll be looking forward to it."

Nausicaä smiled, feeling a little too happy about this. She had been nervous, but she was glad she had asked. But wasn't the guy supposed to be asking the girl out, not the other way around?

She shook her head. No, this wasn't a date. Today hadn't been one either. They were just friends. She hadn't been asking him out, she had just  _invited_  him to join her in the toxic jungle. There was nothing wrong with two friends, who just happened to be a guy and a girl, hanging out together. It had  _not_  been a date. Besides, a place such as the toxic jungle wasn't exactly romantic; beautiful, but not romantic. A place filled with toxic spores didn't suit that purpose. They had to wear filtering masks all the time, so they couldn't even kiss.

Nausicaä blushed to the roots of her hair. No, she didn't want to kiss Asbel. One didn't do that with friends, unless it was something harmless like a simple peck on the cheek. But thinking about it drew Nausicaä's attention to Asbel's mouth, and she wondered what it would be like to kiss him.

"Nausicaä, you ok?" he asked.

The princess jumped, not realizing that she had been staring. "Huh, what?"

"Well you were just staring off into space like your mind was on something. Is anything bothering you?"

Nausicaä turned away to hide her embarrassment. "No, nothing. Just thinking."

"About?"

"Just things."

Asbel took the hint. "Well, if you need anything, just tell me, I'll be happy to help."

Nausicaä opened her mouth to reply, but someone spoke before she did. "Asbel!"

The Pejite prince winced as he heard his master call him. "Oops." He muttered. "I forgot that I promised to make up this morning's training when I got back."

Nausicaä couldn't help but snicker. "Well, you better hurry then." Lord Yupa was kind and patient, but he was also very strict, especially with his pupils. "You don't want to keep him waiting."

Asbel smirked. "He'll make me train twice as much. I'll see you later."

He hurried over to his master, who had his arms crossed and was tapping his finger against the hilt of his sword. Nausicaä sighed and a smile crept up her face as she watched Asbel apologize to Lord Yupa. It was really good to have him back. She hadn't realized just how much she had missed him until he actually returned to her valley.

"I recognize that type of sigh." Came the voice of the old blind woman. Nausicaä turned to Obaba as the old crone wandered over to her. Nausicaä still wasn't sure how she got around without a walking stick or some other type of way to guide herself. "That is the same type of sigh all women in your position make."

Nausicaä cocked her head to the side, the gesture going unseen by the old woman. "What do you mean?"

Obaba just smiled knowingly. "You will know in time. By the end of this year if Lord Yupa's information is correct and my assumptions are accurate."

"Huh?"

"Patience, child. In time, you will understand. Matters of the heart take time."

She left Nausicaä with this to think about. The princess considered the old woman's words. Sometimes Obaba really confused her, but she had a feeling that she knew what the grandmotherly figure meant. She blushed again.

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Nausicaä sat on one of the windmills as she watched the sunset. The view of her valley expanding into the desert area before becoming the Sea of Decay was truly breathtaking with the sun setting behind it. The orange light reflected off the sand, giving it a golden glow.

Teto crawled on top of Nausicaä's head and squeaked. She smiled and stroked the little creature between his ears, making him purr.

"I know, it's beautiful." she said. "Sure wish someone was here to appreciate the view with me."

"Will I be sufficient?" Nausicaä jumped as Asbel joined her on the windmill. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."

"It's ok." She assured him. "I just wasn't expecting an answer. Please, join me." Asbel sat down, wiping a sheen of sweat off his forehead. "Finish your training?"

Asbel nodded. "Just now. I knew he would train me extra hard for forgetting." He chuckled. "Sorry, I probably don't smell so good right now."

"It's fine." Nausicaä replied. "You actually look pretty attractive after a workout." She clamped her mouth shut, unable to belief what she had just said.

A hint of red appeared on Asbel's cheeks that had nothing to do with him being hot from his workout. "Um… thanks. You look lovely too; you always do."

"T-Thanks."

That hated awkward silence settled over them, the only sound being made by the wind blowing. Both felt obligated to say something, but didn't know what to say.

Apparently, Teto knew how to break the silence. He hopped from Nausicaä's head onto Asbel's. The Pejite prince blinked as the fox-squirrel made itself comfortable on his head.

Nausicaä chuckled. "He's really taken a liking to you. Besides me, I've never seen him get so comfortable with someone so quickly."

Asbel blinked again. "Is that a good thing?"

Nausicaä shoved him. "Of course it is! Teto can be picky about his friends."

Asbel just smiled. "Connecting with nature just seems so easy for you."

Nausicaä shrugged. "I just understand all creatures. Size, shape, instinct, intelligence, they're all living things, no matter how small and insignificant they may be." She sighed and looked out at the toxic jungle. "People just don't understand that life is life, regardless of who or what that life belongs to."

Asbel took in her words. "You're so insightful. I wish I could see things the way you do."

"You're insightful too. And you're learning to appreciate all life, and not just the lives of humans."

Asbel nodded. Yes, he was beginning to understand. There was more to all creatures of life than what meets the eye. The insects were an excellent example of this. In the past, Asbel, along with most of humanity, had thought the insects to be nothing more than bloodthirsty creatures that killed anything outside their own species. He had never thought that they had feelings or could understand things like humans could. A grave error on his part.

"Yes, you're showing me how wrong I've been in the past." He chuckled. "I guess that means you're doing your job as the prophesized one's soul mate."

Nausicaä frowned. "I don't want to think about that right now." She still didn't like the idea of her heart belonging to someone she didn't even know yet.

Asbel also frowned. "You're still worried about the prophecy choosing your destined one?"

Nausicaä nodded. "If I fall in love, I want it to be with someone I choose, not what some ancient prophecy says."

"I can understand how you how you feel." Asbel replied, nodding. "But remember what I said about maybe the person you fall in love with becoming the prophesized one."

"I remember. It is a possibility." She paused for a moment. "But still, I want to be able to choose my own destiny." She turned to face Asbel, lowering her voice. "I want to be able to fall in love on my own, and not according to some old legendary prophecy."

Her eyes were locked on Asbel's, and his on hers. She looked stunning with the wind blowing her red hair as the sun set behind it, making it illuminate with color.

"Well, you still can." He told her. "There's no rule that says you can't follow your own heart and do things your own way."

Neither one seemed to notice it, but their faces were slowly moving closer.

"I guess that's true." Nausicaä replied. "Even if I am bound by the prophecy, that doesn't mean I can't live my own life."

Their faces moved closer.

"Or do the things you want." Asbel added.

Closer.

"Or be free to fall in love with who I want." Nausicaä barely whispered.

Their lips nearly touched.

Teto began growing and hissing, suddenly ruining the moment as he jumped off Asbel's head. The prince and princess turned to the fox-squirrel, wandering what had caused him to react in such a way.

"Teto, what's wrong?" asked Nausicaä.

The fox-squirrel just growled, his fur standing on end.

"Nausicaä, look!" Asbel cried.

She turned in the direction he was pointing in and saw what had Teto on his guard. Coming in for a landing was an enormous airship. It was huge, big enough to fit at least five Ohmu inside it. Teto's sensitive ears had picked up the sound of its roaring engine before Nausicaä or Asbel did.

"Who?" Nausicaä whispered.

"You weren't expecting any… um, visitors?"

Nausicaä shook her head and went inside, descending the steps two at a time; Asbel and Teto right behind her. Once on the ground, they hurried over to the place the gigantic airship was beginning to land. They weren't the only ones; several other people were heading over to them, wondering just who was coming into their kingdom unannounced.

"Be cautious." Lord Yupa warned them. "Remember what happened with the Tolmekians."

Nausicaä nodded. She had no intention of starting a battle. "Although this is very unexpected, we shall greet and welcome these people into our valley."

"Maybe they're another kingdom that was overrun by Ohmu," one of the villagers suggested, "or perhaps their home was consumed by the toxic forest."

Asbel's eye caught sight of the symbol on the side of large airship. "Master, do you recognize that mark?"

Lord Yupa nodded. "I do. This ship belongs to the Kalvandirs."

"The Kalvandirs?" Nausicaä repeated.

Lord Yupa nodded. "They're a civilization that depend on their technology and intelligence. They dedicate their lives to science and progress, trying to make the world a better place."

"That sounds a heck of a lot better than the Tolmekians." Said another villager.

The ship settled easily on the ground. The people of the valley gathered around, wondering where the door was on the enormous contraption so they could greet their guests.

"Princess, over here!" someone called. "There's a door opening over here!"

Nausicaä hurried over to where the person was calling her. Asbel and Lord Yupa were right behind her. A door was indeed opening, and a ramp was coming down, allowing the Kalvandirs to exit the enormous airship.

Lord Yupa made a small movement that went by unnoticed by all except Asbel. He knew his master, always being on his guard, was reaching for his sword, just in case this was an attack.

For a moment, he thought they really were going to be attacked when men with weapons came out. He relaxed when they began lining up, facing each other as if they were preparing for the arrival of an important person. That was when he realized that these men were guards.

A short balding man waddled down the ramp and hurried to the end of the row of guards and announced, "Presenting his royal majesty, the prince of Kalvandir, Lord Ved!"

From out of the ship came a young man around the age of Nausicaä and Asbel. He walked down the line of guards with such grace that he almost appeared to be walking on air. He calmly strolled to the end of the line and gave the people of the Valley of the Wind a dazzling smile.

"Greetings to you all. I am Prince Ved, of the kingdom of Kalvandir. Is there a Princess Nausicaä here?"

Hesitantly, Nausicaä stepped forward. "Yes, I am Nausicaä."

Ved placed right hand on his left shoulder and bowed to her. "It's an honor to meet you, Princess."

Nausicaä bowed back. "It's an honor to meet you too, Prince Ved."

The Kalvandir prince smiled. "Please, Ved will be fine."

Nausicaä nodded. "Then you may call me Nausicaä."

"As you wish." Ved replied with another small bow. "Forgive me for my sudden arrival, but we were all anxious to meet you."

Nausicaä just waved it off. "It's no problem. We've just never had a visitor arrive in such a large ship."

Ved laughed. "Yes, my people and I believe that bigger is better. I always take this ship when I go on long trips." His eyes shifted over to the sword master standing behind her. "Lord Yupa, I presume. Yes, I recognize you. The infamous sword master."

Nausicaä turned to him. "Lord Yupa, you two know each other?"

" _Of_  each other." Lord Yupa corrected.

"We went through the Kalvandir kingdom during our travels." Asbel explained. "They knew some of the second verse of the prophecy, so we asked around a bit."

Ved nodded. "Which is what brings me here. I wanted to meet you, Nausicaä. You are one of the two people the legend speaks of. I'm surprised more people haven't come to meet you."

He was wrong there. There had been people that have come to meet Nausicaä, wanting to meet the next Joan of Arc. Nausicaä hadn't really known what to do about it, so she pretty much just humored them. But she had never had someone come in like this.

"Well, I'm honored." Nausicaä replied. "But something tells me that you didn't come here just to meet me."

Ved laughed. "Very perceptive of you. Actually, I do have an another reason for coming here."

"Sire, please give me the honor of telling them." The short bald man requested.

The Kalvandir prince gave him a smile. "As you wish, Ken. You may do so."

The short man, Ken, looked thrilled. "Princess Nausicaä, people of the Valley of the Wind, we know of the prophecy that has long been the hope of us. It is known that your princess is the guide for the prophesized one, and it has recently become known to us Kalvandirs that our very own Prince Ved is in fact the prophesized one himself!"

There were shocked gasps all around. Even Lord Yupa was caught off guard by Ken's declaration.

"Him?" cried Asbel in disbelief, pointing at the Kalvandir prince. "He's the prophesized one?"

Ved just shrugged. "It would appear so."

Lord Yupa crossed his arms, unconvinced. "Forgive me for my lack of trust, but I am unable to accept that without proof." He wasn't about to believe the words of some energetic balding man when he had searched his whole life for the meaning of the prophecy.

Ved nodded in understanding. "I can accept that. But my people and I have researched the subject, and I fit all the qualifications the prophesized one is said to have. First off, my favorite color is blue, and I am rarely seen in clothes of another color."

Nausicaä realized for the first time that Ved was clad entirely in blue. Still that wasn't enough to convince her. There was bound to be several people in the world that liked to wear blue clothes.

"Also," Ved continued, "I have always had a strong connection with the earth and all its creatures; the Ohmu especially. I even had one as a pet when I was younger." He smiled. "They actually make good companions if you treat them with kindness."

"Many people felt uncomfortable with the prince having such a dangerous creature as a pet." Said Ken.

Ved cut his eyes at the little man. "I told you, they're only dangerous if you make them feel threatened. They have a right to defend themselves."

Ken shook his head. "My prince, I'll never understand you. You were always such a strange boy, always running off to play in the toxic jungle."

Nausicaä raised an eyebrow at that. Ved liked to spend time in the toxic jungle too? Ok, that was a lot less common than someone whose favorite color was blue, but she still needed more proof.

"It was just recently that we realized that he was the prophesized one." Ken continued. He looked at Lord Yupa and Asbel. "It happened shortly after these two left our kingdom. An injured insect wandered into town. None of us knew what to do. When it began drawing a crowd, it started calling for help. We all feared that the other insects would come and kill us all." He turned back to Ved. "But then our prince came and saved us. He calmed the creature down and took it in his arms. He carried it all the way to the toxic jungle. The other insects were indeed coming to the aid of their fellow insect." He shivered. "I still remember their angry red eyes glaring at us. They looked ready to kill us all." He smiled. "But then our prince held out the wounded bug, and calmly spoke to the others. Their rage subsided, and they took their friend and left. None of us could believe it. We had thought we were finished."

"I told you." said Ved. "They're far more understanding than you give them credit for."

Ken nodded. "If you say so, my lord." He turned back to Nausicaä. "The sun was setting at that time. And just before the land becomes part of the toxic jungle, there is a field of sand, much like the one here. The sun reflecting on it gave it a golden glow. And as our prince walked back to us, we saw him for what he truly was. Clad in blue, descending on a field of gold. And to wrap it all up, he is the prince of a kingdom that is all about progress. There are no doubts in our mind. He is the prophesized one."

Nausicaä looked at Ved again. She could see why his people would believe he was who he claimed to be. But still, it seemed too convenient. Perhaps he was the one in the legend, then again, perhaps not. There was only one real way to know for sure, and that was if she fell in love with him. Well, love at first sight certainly hadn't happened, but who knows what time will tell.

"So, you truly believe that you're the prophesized one?" she asked.

Ved simply shrugged. "I make no claim. I am simply providing the evidence. It is you that will make the decision whether to believe if I am the prophesized one or not."

Nausicaä glanced at Lord Yupa and Asbel. They had been the ones researching the prophecy, so she wanted their opinions. She saw that Lord Yupa was tapping his chin, thinking carefully about this unexpected development. Asbel, on the other hand, didn't seem to be even giving what he had just learned any consideration. For some reason, he looked very frustrated, though Nausicaä couldn't figure out why.

"It is true…" said Lord Yupa carefully. "These events do relate to the prophecy. However, there is one other qualification."

Ved nodded. "I am aware of it." He looked at Nausicaä. "The prophesized one's soul mate. The one who walked the golden road before him." He began walking towards her. "I can easily see myself falling in love with you, Princess." He took her hand and kissed it, causing her to blush. Not letting go of her hand, he got down on one knee, giving her one of his dazzling smiles. "Nausicaä, I would like to ask for your hand in marriage."

Asbel made a funny noise, but it went by unnoticed by the stunned Nausicaä, who was now blushing even harder. She felt flattered that Ved could claim to easily be able to fall in love with her. He seemed like the perfect gentleman, and he was very attractive. His spiky brown hair fell over half his face, as his ocean blue eyes studied her, patiently waiting for her decision was making her heart beat very fast.

"I'm… honored by your request," she said, pulling her hand away, "but I've just met you. I couldn't possibly accept a marriage proposal from someone I know nothing about. I'm sorry, but I can't marry you."

Ved showed no sign of disappointment. Instead he just smiled and stood up. "I understand perfectly. I am actually glad you're not immediately jumping into commitment. I hope, however, that you will not completely dismiss the idea, and will allow me to court you."

Nausicaä opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again. She should at least consider the idea. She should at least get to know him a little bit. If he was the true prophesized one, then things would happen as they were meant to. Simply allowing him to court her didn't mean that they were engaged or anything. But…

She turned and looked at Asbel. He still looked frustrated. Perhaps even more so than he had before. Why didn't he seem so angry? And why did she feel so against the idea of allowing Ved to court her? He seemed like a very nice guy. She felt almost as if it were her duty to give him a chance.

"I… guess it couldn't hurt to have one date." She said, deciding to give him that much.

"Wonderful!" Ved declared. "It will be an honor to get to know you more. I will be looking forward to it." He bowed again. "For now, I shall bid you all good night. The hour is getting late, and there is much I have to do. I will see you tomorrow, Nausicaä."

Nausicaä nodded. "Sure. See you tomorrow."

He smiled at her again and turned to go back inside, Ken following close behind. As he passed his guards, they got out of line and followed him back inside the large ship, the door closing behind him.

As the people of the valley began discussing what had just happened, Nausicaä turned to Asbel and Lord Yupa. "Well, that was certainly unexpected."

"I'll say." Asbel agreed, unable to keep the irritation out of his voice.

Nausicaä blinked, confused by his anger. "Asbel, are mad about something?"

"I'm fine!" he snapped, harsher than he meant to. He took a calming breath and said in a calmer toner, "I need to go clean up. I'm still all dirty from training."

He walked away, his posture and movements a clear indication that he was frustrated.

"Oh boy." Lord Yupa muttered.

Nausicaä turned to the sword master. "Lord Yupa, is he ok?"

He nodded. "Don't worry about him, Nausicaä. He will be fine. But what about you? What are you going to do?"

Nausicaä turned to the large airship. "I have to give him a chance. If he is the prophesized one, then things will progress as they're meant to."

Lord Yupa nodded. "A wise decision on your part. If you do not feel he is the one, then you may end the courtship."

He turned to leave, but Nausicaä stopped him. "Lord Yupa, do you think Ved is the one in the legend?"

Lord Yupa paused for a moment, hesitating before he answered. "I do not know, Nausicaä. I have done all I can. The rest is up to you."

He left it at that, leaving Nausicaä with even more questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: You're all upset that I ruined the kiss between Nausicaä and Asbel, aren't you? I knew it. But where would the fun be if I made it that simple. Now there's a rival for Nausicaä's affections, and Asbel sure isn't happy about it. Jealousy alert! Now some drama is going to be thrown in. And could Ved really be the prophesized one? I might make it happen. Remember, this isn't strictly a Nausicaä/Asbel fic. So stay tuned for more, and I'll update soon.)


	5. Drama

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Sorry this took so long, but finals are coming up for me and I've been studying my brains out and didn't have much time to write. But I'm here now, so enjoy the next chapter.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 5: Drama**

Nausicaä walked out of her room early the next morning. She was surprised to see Ved leaning against the wall, arms crossed, eyes closed. He opened his eyes and gave her a smile.

"Well, good morning." He said. "It's about time you got up. I was wondering how long I would have to wait here."

Nausicaä could tell he was joking. "How long were you waiting?"

Ved shrugged. "About three hours."

"Three hours!" Nausicaä cried, clearly surprised, and a little disturbed by the fact that he had waited outside her room for so long. "What time did you get up?"

"Oh, around 5:30." He said carelessly. "I believe in making the most out of the day, so I get up early. Plus, I wanted to catch you before you made any plans for today."

"So you waited outside of my room for three hours?" She didn't know whether she should be bothered by this or flattered that he had waited so long.

"I did not wish to disturb you. A woman must get her beauty sleep." He gave her his sparkling smile again. "Not that you need it."

Nausicaä blushed. "Thanks… but I feel bad for making you wait so long."

Ved just laughed. "Not to worry. I had a lot to think about. This was the perfect opportunity to settle some things. It also gave me time to plan out the day. I was hoping we could spend some time together. I would really like to get to know you better."

Nausicaä nodded.  _'Right, I did agree to give him a chance. At least one date.'_  "Ok, then."

"Excellent!" Ved cried, clapping his hands together. "I already have my servants preparing everything. I wanted to be ready without having to keep you waiting." He chuckled. "It's a good thing you're free, or else all this planning and preparation would have gone to waste." He bowed to her. "Now if you'll excuse me, I will let you get ready for the day." He walked off, pausing as he passed Nausicaä and whispering, "I'm really looking forward to today."

Nausicaä didn't reply. She didn't know what to say. Ved was certainly going all out. He really was a gentleman. A little strange, but a gentleman nevertheless. But still, she couldn't help but feel as if she had forgotten something.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Asbel was debating whether or not to bring his gun when he and Nausicaä went into the toxic jungle today. He had taken it as a precaution last time, though he hadn't needed it. He would rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. Nausicaä may trust the insects completely, but he was still hesitant to put his life in their hands. Being  _touched_  had certainly made him understand them better, but that didn't mean that he was now completely safe from them. But bringing it would be a sign of distrust.

"I'll compromise." He muttered, deciding to leave the gun and bring a knife. He looked at the clock, figuring that Nausicaä must be up by now. He decided to knock on her door.

As he headed down to where he knew Nausicaä was staying, he felt his face heat up, thinking of when Nausicaä had come to his door, asking if he had wanted to spend the day with her. He hadn't been in the best-dressed state at the time and had ended up embarrassing himself.

' _I seem to do that a lot around her.'_  he thought.  _'Why is it that whenever I'm around her I get all… all…'_ He shook his head, clearing himself of such thoughts.  _'She's not for you!'_  His mind screamed.  _'She's predestined to be with the prophesized one. You're just another one of her friends to help her along the way.'_

His thoughts shifted to Prince Ved. He wondered if the Kalvandir prince was indeed the one Nausicaä was meant to be with. A surge of jealousy tore through him. What was so great about him? Ok, so he was handsome, polite, thoughtful, and intoned with the earth, but besides that, so what?

' _So what?'_  he thought.  _'That's exactly the type of person that the world needs to restore its connection with the earth. The two of them will probably hit it off great.'_  Shaking his head, he decided to focus on something happier.  _'Well, if he is destined to be with Nausicaä, then there's nothing I can do about it. But today, the two of us are going back to the toxic jungle to have some fun.'_ He chuckled.  _'Strange, I never thought of the toxic jungle as_ fun _before.'_

As he got closer to Nausicaä's room, one of the people he had been thinking about passed him by, nodding in greeting.

"Asbel, good morning."

Asbel nodded back. "Good morning, Prince Ved."

"Just Ved." The Kalvandir prince replied. "I so tire of hearing things such as 'prince', or 'sire', or 'your majesty' when I'm speaking to others." He looked concerned for a moment. "Forgive me, but my opinion gives me know right to speak to you in the same manner, Prince Asbel."

Asbel just waved it off. "No, Asbel is fine with me." He gave the Kalvandir prince a suspicious look. "What were you doing down here?"

Ved laughed. "I could ask the same question." He shook his head, snickering. "I was just wanted to talk to Nausicaä."

"Oh, so she's up?"

Ved nodded. "She's getting ready now. She should be out soon. I'll leave you to whatever you were doing. Good day."

He walked by with all the grace in the world. Asbel raised an eyebrow as he passed. Ved was certainly an interesting fellow. It seemed to Asbel that he stood no chance against such a person.

' _Stand a chance at what?'_  he thought to himself.  _'It's not like we're competing against each other for anything.'_

He found himself outside Nausicaä's room, suddenly feeling very nervous. He wondered why. It wasn't like he was asking her out or anything. They had already made these plans yesterday. He was just checking to see if she was ready.

After standing in front of her door for who knows how long, Asbel finally gained enough courage to knock. As his fist came down to knock, the door swung opened. Nausicaä cried out in surprise as Asbel nearly hit her.

"Oh, Nausicaä, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… I was just-"

"It's fine." Nausicaä replied. "You didn't hit me."

Asbel laughed nervously. "Yeah, good thing. I was just coming to see if you were ready."

Nausicaä cocked her head to the side. "Um… ready?"

Confused, Asbel raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, weren't we going to go to the-"

"Toxic jungle!" Nausicaä cried, suddenly remembering. With Ved's unexpected appearance and request for her company today, she had completely forgotten that she had invited Asbel to join her in the toxic jungle again today. "Oh no! I completely forgot! We did make plans today." She frowned. "But I just told Ved I'd spend the day with him."

Asbel gave her a suspicious look. "Ved?"

Nausicaä nodded. "Yeah, he was waiting for me outside my room and asked me to join him today. He said he had it all planned out."

Asbel's eyes narrowed.  _'So, that's what he was doing down here, the sneak.'_

"I'll have to cancel on him." Nausicaä replied. "I did make plans with you first."

Asbel sighed. "No, it's fine. You did say that he had the day planned out. We can go to the toxic jungle any time."

"But Asbel-"

He held up a hand to stop her. "Really, it's ok. I understand."

She have him a worried look. "Are you sure you're ok with this?"

Truthfully, giving up Nausicaä to the Kalvandir prince was the last thing he wanted to do. But he gave her a smile and said in a joking way, "I just said I was. Go on, go enjoy yourself." His smile became mischievous. "But if he tries to hog you too much, I'll just have to steal you away."

Nausicaä laughed. "Thanks, Asbel, you're a good friend."

She hurried away, leaving Asbel by himself. His friendly smile became a sad frown. "Yeah… a friend. That's all I am." He sighed. "That's all I can be to the prophesized one's soul mate."

Feeling rather depressed, Asbel decided to burn off some tension with some practice. He retrieved his sword and went outside, slicing through the air with great aggravation. His mind was fixated on Nausicaä and Ved enjoying a romantic evening together. Jealousy filled him and his movements became more aggressive.

' _Don't know why I'm so upset.'_  He thought.  _'Something like this was going to happen eventually. I guess I thought the two of us would have been together for a little while longer before the prophesized one showed up.'_

He swung to the left and his sword made contact with another one. Lord Yupa stood before him, having been the one to catch his swinging sword.

"Now what kind of swordsmanship is that?" Lord Yupa asked. "Your movements are aggressive and reckless. I always told you not to let your emotions affect your fighting; that will get you killed."

Asbel pulled away. "I'm not letting my emotions affect me." He declared. Lord Yupa raised an eyebrow. "Ok, so I am. So what? This isn't a real fight."

"It doesn't matter." The sword master replied. "You don't want to get used to such rash actions."

Asbel sighed. "I'm sorry, master. I'm just feeling aggravated."

"I noticed. Care to talk about it?"

Asbel shook his head. "Not really. I'm not certain of what it is myself. I just needed something to distract myself with."

"Well then," Lord Yupa spun his sword around, "care to spar with me?"

For an answer, Asbel charged at his master. Lord Yupa easily blocked the attack and the sparing session began. Regardless of what Lord Yupa had just told him, Asbel's movements were wild and clumsy. The sword master was rather disappointed in his pupil. He knew Asbel knew better. But perhaps it was better to let him get it out of his system.

"So, why so upset?"

"I told you, I don't know."

Lord Yupa wasn't convinced. "You know what it is; you just don't want to tell me."

"So what?"

Their swords clashed together. "So I can't help you if you don't talk to me." He received no reply. "Fine, then I'll just have to take a guess. Would it have anything to do with Nausicaä and Ved spending the day together?"

Asbel was so surprised that he made a mistake with his swordplay and Lord Yupa knocked the weapon from his hands. "W-Why would you think that?"

Lord Yupa shook his head. "Asbel, Asbel, Asbel. I am your master. I make it a point to know my students."

Asbel crossed his arms stubbornly. "What do you know about me?"

The sword master narrowed his eyes and gave the Pejite prince a serious look. "I know that you're in love with Nausicaä."

The shocked look that appeared over Asbel's face would have made Lord Yupa laugh had it been a more cheerful moment. But the look of surprise soon became stubborn once again.

"That's ridiculous!" he cried. "Why would you say something as crazy as that?"

Lord Yupa cut his eyes at him. "Call it a hunch. That and the way you look at her, talk about her, and act around her. Not to mention you've muttered her name in your sleep on several occasions for the past two years."

Asbel blushed. He had been saying her name in his sleep? How long had that been going on? "I… I…"

"Yes, you have. There is no use denying it. I recognize the symptoms of someone in love." He sighed. "I was in love once too."

Asbel blinked in surprise. "You? Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Lord Yupa chuckled. "I have my secrets too. It was a long time ago though; back when things were…" his tone became sad and serious, "less peaceful." He pulled his hat over his eyes to hide the emotion in them. "She died due to… shall we say, certain circumstances. And ever since then, I completely devoted myself to the legend and the toxic jungle."

Asbel looked at his master in disbelief. "I… never knew."

"That is because I never told you. But trust me on this, Asbel, never run from love, or be afraid of it."

The Pejite prince looked thoughtful for a moment, but then he turned away. "It doesn't matter anyway. She's with Ved now."

' _Don't be so sure.'_  Lord Yupa thought, though he didn't voice his opinion. Instead he said, "You don't seem too happy about that."

"He's not good enough for her!"

Lord Yupa raised an eyebrow at Asbel's harsh tone. "And you are?"

Asbel shook his head. "No one is. As far as I'm concerned, Nausicaä is too good for anyone, prophesized or otherwise."

Now that Lord Yupa found funny. "Oh, Asbel. Everyone has their flaws, even Nausicaä."

"Don't say that!" Asbel snapped.

Lord Yupa just laughed again. "So protective. Another sign of being in love."

Asbel got a hold of himself when he realized how he was behaving. He took a deep breath and sighed. "Just tell me one thing, master, do you think Ved is the prophesized one?"

"Ah," Lord Yupa muttered, "that  _is_  the question, isn't it? Nausicaä asked me my opinion too."

He paused here. Asbel waited for him to continue, but the sword master remained silent. "And… what did you tell her?"

"I told her that it is up to her to figure it out. Only she will know. Perhaps it is Ved, perhaps it's not. It's seems like it could be anyone." He gave Asbel a serious look. "Who knows, she may even fall for you."

Asbel glared at him. "Don't tease me like that!" he snapped angrily. "I don't stand a chance against someone like Prince Ved."

He sheathed his sword and stormed off, rudely dismissing himself from his master's presence. But Lord Yupa made no attempt to go after him. He just closed his eyes and sighed. "No, Asbel, you don't…" he whispered, "not with an attitude like that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Poor Asbel, but you knew something like this would happen eventually with Ved's presence. Next chapter is Nausicaä and Ved's 'date'. Now how do you think that will turn out? By the way, who likes Ved? He's not supposed to be the hated love rival character that you see in anime sometimes, just another guy. I'll update as soon as I can, but with finals approaching, that may take a little while longer than normal.)


	6. The Date Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I'm sorry. I know this took a really long time, but this was finals week, and I've been busy with exams and projects. I know it's not as long as most chapters either, but I don't like to leave my readers hanging and I wanted to update as soon as possible. So, here's the next chapter, enjoy it.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 6: The Date Begins**

_Thump, thump, thump!_ Nausicaä couldn't figure out why her heart was pounding so much. Perhaps it was because she was going on her first date. Being a princess didn't exactly give her that many opportunities for boys to ask her out. It was only natural that she should be nervous.

' _Geez, it's just one date!'_  she scolded herself.  _It's not like we're getting married or anything.'_

But then the image of her in a wedding dress standing by Ved appeared in her mind. The thought made her blush. She shook her head to clear the image. It didn't go away, but it did change. This time it was Asbel she was standing by. She blushed even harder.

"I'm becoming a romantic." She murmured. "All these thoughts are entering my mind." She crossed her arms, thinking. "Hmm, maybe it has something to do with the prophecy coming to pass." She sighed. "That's so unfair. It takes away the fun out of it."

She walked by a mirror and stopped to check her appearance. So far she had done that in every object that had a reflection that she had past. She wondered why she was so concerned with the way she looked. It had never really bothered her before. She had natural beauty, so there was no need for all that makeup and other stuff.

Suddenly she felt somewhat frustrated. Why was she getting so bent out of shape about this? She had no reason to be something she wasn't. If Ved was indeed the one she was going to end up with, then she wanted him to love her for who she was.

"Ok, here we go." She said.

She knocked on the giant door to Ved's enormous airship. She waited several seconds, but nothing happened. It was then that she spotted a buzzer on the side. She suddenly felt foolish.

"Of course, they wouldn't hear a little knock. Come on, Nausicaä, snap out of it. This isn't you."

She lightly slapped her cheeks and took a deep breath, feeling a little more like the old Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.

"Alright, second attempt."

She pressed the button, and heard the buzzer go off. A small panel opened up to reveal a small screen. The image of what looked like one of Ved's guards appeared on it.

" _Ah, Princess Nausicaä, glad you could come."_  Came his voice over the intercom.  _"Prince Ved has been expecting you. One moment and we'll open the door."_

Nausicaä stepped back as the massive metal door, or perhaps gate was a better word, began to open. Two of the guards came out to great her, bowing as she passed. The guard she had spoken to over the intercom welcomed her once she was inside.

"It is an honor to have you here, Princess." He said.

"Nausicaä, please."

The guard nodded. "As you wish. Please follow me and I shall escort you to his majesty. And please reframe from wandering off; it can be very easy to get lost in here if you don't know the way."

Nausicaä chuckled. "I can believe that. Why do you travel so big?"

The guard shook his head. "It is not my place to say. If his highness wishes to tell you, then he will do so."

Nausicaä cocked her head to the side. "O…k…" She wondered what the big deal was. She only wanted to know why they traveled so big; it wasn't a personal question.

They walked in silence after that until the guard brought her to a large red door with four guards outside it. They each bowed to Nausicaä.

The guard that had led her knocked on the door. "Sire, Princess Nausicaä is here."

"Send her in." was the reply they received.

The guard stepped aside. "Enjoy your day, Princess."

"Uh, thank you."

The door opened and Nausicaä went inside. The room was three times as big as her own and had a very rich atmosphere. Nausicaä was surprised to say the least.

' _Wow, all this just for travel.'_

"Enjoying the view?" Startled, Nausicaä turned in the direction Ved's voice came from. He was sitting by a desk, watching her with interest. He gave her one of his dazzling smiles. "How do you like my suite?"

Nausicaä nodded. "It suits you. You sure go all out with everything."

"It's my home away from home." Ved explained. "Truthfully though, my servants designed it for me. I would have been equally as satisfied with staying at an inn. But no, they want to make sure everything is perfect."

"Is that why you're flying in such a large ship?"

"Partly. Why do you ask?"

"Oh." She glanced at the door, remembering what the guard had told her about Ved being the one to tell her why he traveled so big, and she wondered if she would be invading his privacy. "Well, I asked one of your guards what the need for such a big ship was for, and he said that it was up to you to tell me or not."

Ved was silent for a moment, but then he burst out laughing. "Oh, don't worry about those guys. They're far too stuck up and serious. They think that if the set one toe out of line that I'll send them to the dungeons. So they don't do anything without permission." He frowned. "It's a little annoying really. Just because I'm royalty doesn't mean I have to think for them." He gave her a smile. "Sorry, I'm getting off topic. You see, the reason for such a large ship was because if we are indeed the ones in the legend, we might end up traveling all over the world. Therefore, we'll have everything we'll need."

"Oh." Nausicaä replied, not sure how she felt about that. It seemed like Ved was assuming or expecting too much.

Ved seemed to guess what she was thinking. "Don't worry, I have no expectations. This is more of a 'just in case' scenario. So," he stood up, "shall we begin our day together?" He looked around. "Or would you like a tour first."

Nausicaä smiled. "A tour sounds nice. I'd like to see what this place is like."

Ved nodded. "As you wish. Though you may find may find most of it to be rather boring. It's mostly just rooms for the guards and guests, the armory, kitchens, the lab, the-"

"Lab?" Nausicaä repeated. "You have a lab here?"

Ved blinked. "Why yes. We've been trying to find out why the toxic spores are poisonous to us, and how to cure the disease caused by the toxic jungle."

Nausicaä jumped at the opportunity. "It's the soil." she told him.

Ved looked confused, not sure what she meant. "Excuse me?"

Nausicaä nodded. "I've been doing the same research. I found out that it's not the spores that are poisonous, but the soil. The spores just absorb the poison from the soil. If you grow them with uncontaminated dirt and water, they'll be just regular plants, completely harmless."

Ved looked shocked. "You're serious? And you figured this out on your own?" Nausicaä nodded. "Incredible. I'll have to report this to my scientists. You truly are an amazing woman, Nausicaä. Perhaps now we will be able to find a cure for the jungle's disease."

The already blushing Nausicaä blushed even more. "Um, I found that out too. Now I'm trying to find a way to prevent the disease from affecting anyone to begin with."

Again, Ved stared at her in disbelief. He finally found his voice. "I can truly see how you're the one to guide the prophesized one. But we shall leave such matters for another time. Today is just for the two of us to enjoy." He held out his hand. "Shall we?"

Nausicaä hesitated. For some reason, she felt that if she took this next step, things that will be beyond her control would begin to take place.

She pushed these thoughts aside and took his hand.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Lord Yupa circled around the Kalvandir ship for the fifth time. Or perhaps it was the sixth. He couldn't remember; a sign that his age was beginning to affect him.

"Nonsense." He told himself. "I've still got a few decades in me left."

He reached the front of the ship and began walking around it again. Nausicaä was in there somewhere, and that was making him anxious. He didn't know why, but instinct was kicking in, and he always trusted his gut.

A small pressure on his leg made him look down, and Lord Yupa saw Teto rubbing up against him.

"Ah, Teto." He picked up the fox-squirrel. "I thought Nausicaä had given you to Mito to watch."

"She did!" Mito came running over to Lord Yupa, quite out of breath. "Sorry, he got away when I wasn't looking, the little rascal."

Lord Yupa chuckled. "Not to worry, all is well. But you should be more careful. Nausicaä won't be too happy with you if you lose him."

Mito gave the sword master a nervous smile. "Yeah, I know. I'll be more careful." He looked up at the Kalvandir airship. "So, what are you doing here?" He received no reply. "Worried about Nausicaä?"

"Always." Lord Yupa replied. "She is like my own daughter, and I promised her father long ago that I would take care of her if anything happened to him."

Mito gave him a suspicious look. "Then why did you leave after King Jhil died?"

Lord Yupa sighed. "I had my reasons. Though I wanted to be there for Nausicaä, I knew that I had to leave to discover the true meaning of the prophecy."

Mito nodded. "So you came back because the second part of the prophecy is coming to pass. And if the Kalvandir prince is involved…"

Lord Yupa nodded. "I will not let Nausicaä be taken away by someone who simply claims they are the prophesized one. I want to be sure. There are people in the world that will try to take advantage of what Nausicaä is. Who knows how many false prophesized ones we will run into before the true one comes."

Mito continued to nod along with what Lord Yupa was saying, agreeing completely. "That is something that deeply concerns me as well. I'm just glad that the princess is so smart. She can take care of herself."

"Yes," Lord Yupa agreed, "she has proved herself to be very dependable, but that doesn't mean I still don't worry about her."

"I too worry for the princess, but you know that she will just do what she wants anyway. After all, we still can't prevent her from running off to the toxic jungle."

"Yes." Said Lord Yupa, talking in barely a whisper. "However, that was when it concerned only Nausicaä. Now a second person has entered the picture. On top of that, the Kalvandirs are convinced that their prince is the prophesized one. If it turns out that he's not, who knows what they'll do. They may react violently to our disbelief."

Mito looked worried. "They're not like the Tolmekians, are they?"

Lord Yupa shook his head. "No, they're peaceful, for the most part. However, they do have unquenchable thirst for knowledge."

"But that's a good thing, right?"

"Is it?" Lord Yupa gave him a very serious look. "Perhaps they believe that they are doing the right thing. They want to improve the world. But too much progress too quickly can have negative results. They may do something they'll regret later." He sighed. "There are some things that humans are not meant to get involved in."

Mito nodded in understanding. "I guess you're right. How many people believed they were doing the right thing when they tried to burn down the toxic jungle."

"Not only that," Lord Yupa added, "but there is also the matter of the Giant Warriors. Know one truly knows where they came from; although Asbel has some sort of idea. Did humanity comes across something they couldn't handle, did we create something we weren't ready for?"

"Alright, you've made your point." Mito sighed. "So what do we do?"

Lord Yupa crossed his arms. "We can only watch and wait. Make sure that any suitors that Nausicaä receives are not just after the power of the prophesized one, or are not people that merely believe they are the one in the legend."

Mito looked up at the large airship. "Do you think Prince Ved is using Nausicaä or is merely someone who thinks he's the prophesized one?"

Lord Yupa followed Mito's gaze. "Truthfully, I don't know. That will be up to Nausicaä to figure out. I can only do so much for her. Protect her, search for answers, guide her, teach her, but in the end, it is up to her to figure it out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Ha, ha, Lord Yupa's concern gives you something to think about. And what is happening between Nausicaä and Ved. Should I make them kiss? And how's Asbel taking things? What will he do if he finds out they kissed? These next few chapters are really going to be a lot of fun, so stay tuned.)


	7. Past Memory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: The second part of Nausicaä and Ved's date is here. Things start to get a little dramatic at the end, and I'm sure a few of you might be a little angry with the way I end the chapter. Well, not angry, but, oh, you'll see)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 7: Past Memory**

"I never imagined I'd have dinner  _on top_  of you're airship." Said Nausicaä, still surprised that Ved had arranged to have a large banquet on flat surface area on the top of his ship.

Ved just smiled. "This way we won't miss out on this beautiful view."

Nausicaä looked in the direction the sun was setting, watching as it lit up the valley. "I've never seen the valley from here. Well, ok, I have seen it while flying, but I haven't actually watched it."

"Another reason why bigger is better. Multiple uses." He sighed, patting his ship. "Think we'll seen any Night Glimmers?"

Nausicaä gave him a confused look. "Any what?"

Ved raised an eyebrow. "Night Glimmers. Don't you have any Night Glimmers here?" Nausicaä shook her head. "That's a shame. They're very beautiful. We have them back at Kalvandir."

"Well, what are they?"

Ved shrugged. "Basically giant fireflies. They come out from dusk until dawn. Sometimes they'll stay out later if it's cloudy the next day. They light up the sky with displays of colors and fill the air with their chirping music." He closed his eyes and smiled. "They sing and put on a light show every night. No matter how many times I see it, it's breathtaking."

Nausicaä looked awed by this. "I would love to see that."

This brought a smile to Ved's face. "You can come visit whenever you want. Maybe even live there if you decide to be my wife."

Nausicaä frowned. "Don't get carried away."

Ved chuckled. "Wishful thinking, my dear. You don't have to accept, although I hope you do."

Nausicaä blushed. "What do your parents think of this?"

Ved frowned and looked away. "They're… dead. They died four years ago."

Nausicaä gasped. "Oh, Ved, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I-"

"You couldn't have known." Ved replied, turning to face her again. "They were killed by the insects. No," he held up his hand to silence Nausicaä, for she had opened her mouth to speak, "it's alright. It was an accident." He sighed. "Sometimes fate is cruel. Maybe because we're cruel."

"Don't say that!" Nausicaä cried. "People are not cruel."

Ved raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

"Yes!"

Sighing, Ved leaned back. "I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with you there. The world is indeed full of cruel people. But," he smiled, "that is why we have the prophesized one, to bring humanity out of the darkness."

"People are not cruel!" Nausicaä insisted again. "Some may be, but humanity is overall good. Most of us have just been misled."

Ved was silent for a moment, seemingly thinking whether or not he should speak his mind. "That's not what you said before."

Nausicaä gave him a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

Ved suddenly became very interested in his wine glass. "I wasn't going to tell you, since it's obvious that you don't remember, but we've met once before."

Nausicaä blinked in confusion. "What? How? When? Where?"

"Many years ago, back when we were kids." He leaned forward. "Perhaps you'll remember this."

He took her hand and crossed their pinkies. Nausicaä looked at their connected fingers and a memory began creeping up in her mind.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

" _Come on, Ved, it's this way!" a young_ _Nausica_ _ä cried, her long braded hair flowing behind her._

_A miniature version of Prince Ved hurried after her. "What's the big secret,_ _Nausica_ _ä, and why can't our parents see?"_

_Nausica_ _ä giggled. "Because it wouldn't be a secret anymore." She frowned. "Besides, our parents will be angry."_

" _Well you don't need to worry about my parents being angry with you since we're leaving tomorrow."_

_Nausica_ _ä stopped. She hesitated a moment before turning to Ved. "You still can't tell anyone, even when you leave. Promise?"_

_Ved nodded. "Sure, I promise."_

_Nausica_ _ä held out her hand with her pinky out. "Pinky promise me."_

_Ved nodded and connected his pinky with hers. "I promise."_

_Nausica_ _ä smiled. "If you lie, you'll have to swallow 1,000 needles."_

" _I know. So what's the secret?"_

_Giggling,_ _Nausica_ _ä ran over to a tree and bent down by the bottom. "Come on out, I have a friend I want you to meet."_

_Ved cocked his head to the side, confused by what_ _Nausica_ _ä was doing. When she turned back to him he gasped, seeing that she held a baby Ohmu in her arms._

" _Nausica_ _ä, that's an Ohmu!" he cried._

_Nausica_ _ä nodded. "I know. I found him a couple weeks ago. I'm his new mommy!"_

_Ved pointed at her and began jumping up and down. "Ooh, you're going to be in big trouble if the grownups find him."_

_Nausica_ _ä hugged the Ohmu to herself. "You promised you wouldn't tell."_

_Ved nodded. "I know, and I won't, but you'll still be in trouble if they find out."_

" _So what?" cried_ _Nausica_ _ä, looking determine. "I'm not going to abandon him. I'm his mommy, and I will take care of him." She brought the Ohmu closer to Ved and held him up. "Ohmu, this is my friend, Ved. He and his parents are doing some trading with my parents."_

_Ved reached out to pet the little insect. "Hello, Ohmu."_

_Just before he made contact with it, small gold tentacles came out of the Ohmu's mouth, brushing against Ved's hand. The Kalvandir prince yelped and jumped back._

" _It tried to bite me!"_

_Nausica_ _ä chuckled. "He's just saying hi."_

" _Nausica_ _ä, Ved, what are you doing out here?"_

_Nausica_ _ä gasped as a familiar voice reached the two children. "Quick, hide!" she whispered to the Ohmu, putting it on the ground._

_The insect hurried away, crawling back inside the tree it stayed in._ _Nausica_ _ä and Ved stood side by side, blocking the Ohmu from view until it was safely hidden._

_A much younger Lord Yupa walked over to the two children, looking back and forth between the two curiously. "Your parents are looking for you. What are you doing?"_

_The two children smiled innocently. "Nothing."_

" _Hmm…" Lord Yupa looked at the tree suspiciously. He had thought he saw something at the bottom._ _Nausica_ _ä and Ved had been blocking his view, but he had seen the tree's shadow._

" _What are you looking at, Lord Yupa?" asked Ved._

_Lord Yupa turned to the young prince. "Just wondering how big this tree will get." He told him._

_Ved gave a very forced laugh. "Lord Yupa, you're silly. Right_ _Nausica_ _ä."_

_The little princess forced herself to smile. "Yeah, silly."_

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

The flashback ended and Nausicaä found herself once again with the grownup version of the little prince she had just seen in her memories.

Ved smiled. "It seems like it's coming back to you."

"I do remember!" Nausicaä cried, jumping to her feet. "I had completely forgotten."

Ved chuckled. "I don't blame you. It was a very hard time for you. They took away your Ohmu the next day."

Nausicaä lowered her head. "Yes, they did. They were worried about me getting too close to the insects. They didn't want me to be involved with such dangerous creatures."

Ved's smile faded and he crossed his arms. "As if such a little creature could ever hurt anyone. They knew that, but they still tore him from your embrace. An innocent child, simply because it was a different species. Can you truly not say that humanity is not cruel? After that happened, you even told me how cruel they were."

Nausicaä frowned. "I was just a child. They were doing what they thought was best, even though that didn't make it right. But I cannot and will not ever believe that humanity is cruel. I do not deny that sometimes some of the things we do are cruel, but humans are overall good. We just make mistakes. We just need someone to guide us in the right direction again."

This made Ved smile. "And that is what the prophesized one is for." He told her, repeating his earlier words. He sighed. "That's what I want. To restore order to this world. I know I can lead the people down the right path." He laughed. "But I'm probably not the only one to think such things. I guess it makes me seem like a stuck up person."

"Not really." Nausicaä replied. "Not if you're intentions are pure. You want to make the world a better place. There's nothing stuck up about that."

Ved gave her a grateful look. "Thank you, Nausicaä. I'm very grateful you think of me like that. But I guess it's up to you to decide if I will be the one to change the world."

Nausicaä sighed. "Yeah, what a burden."

Ved chuckled. "Yes, finding your true love must be terrible." He joked.

"Hey, don't tease me!"

This time Ved openly laughed. "I'm sorry. It's fun to tease sometimes. Besides, the look you have on your face now is really cute."

Nausicaä blushed. "Y-You're teasing me again! Stop it!"

Ved rested his chin in his hands. "You don't have much experience in relationships, do you?"

This time when Nausicaä blushed it was out of embarrassment. "W-Well, I am a princess."

"And I'm a prince." Said Ved simply. "I still found opportunities. Come now, can you truly say that you haven't had any kind of a relationship with a man, royalty or otherwise."

Nausicaä 's answer was quick and immediate. "No, of course n…"

She trailed of as she realized how false her words sounded, even to her own ears. Images flew through her mind of her and Asbel. She saw the two of them in the underground cavern, sharing the nuts the children had given her. She saw the look of concern he had on her face when he had found her crying, even though she had been crying tears of joy when she discovered that the earth was purifying itself. She saw him bravely face the Tolmekians as he gave her a chance to escape. She saw him laughing with joy as he picked her up and spun her around after the Ohmu had revived her. She saw Asbel in the graveyard, giving her a sympathetic look as he consoled her. She saw the look of awe on his face as he was  _touched_  by the Ohmu for the first time. She saw how his face slowly moved closer to hers as she leaned in to him, their lips nearly touching.

"Nausicaä, you in there?"

Ved's voice brought her out of her daydreaming. Asbel's face was replaced with Ved's as she came back to reality.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just thinking."

Ved snickered. "I guess that means you have had some kind of relationship with a man if you could fall so deep into thought after what I just said." He smiled knowingly. "I wonder who it is."

Nausicaä shook her head. "N-No, it's nothing like that!" she protested.

Ved shook his finger at her. "Liar, liar. There was someone. And I'm willing to bet that it was that Pejite prince."

Nausicaä blushed to the roots of her hair. "I-It… it's not like that. We're just friends."

"Oh?" His tone suggested that he was teasing her again. "You wouldn't be harboring hidden feelings for him, would you? I think I'm jealous."

"I said it's not like that!" Nausicaä snapped, harsher than she meant to. She immediately looked worried. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so upset."

Ved just shrugged. "Well, I was embarrassing you. I guess I deserved to be snapped at." He smiled mischievously. "Still, that doesn't change things. Even if you don't have feelings for him now, that doesn't mean you didn't have them in the past."

"Cut it out!" Nausicaä cried. For some reason, her embarrassment suddenly turning into heartache. She hung her head, letting her hair mask her face. "Please, stop."

The teasing smile on Ved's face vanished when he realized that she was really upset. "Nausicaä? I'm sorry, Nausicaä. I didn't mean to make you-"

"No." said Nausicaä. "It's not your fault. I know you're only fooling around. I don't know why I'm getting so upset."

She placed her hand over her chest, feeling the phantom pain in her heart. For some reason, thinking about her relationship, or perhaps lack of relationship, with Asbel was painful. She didn't know why. Ved was simply teasing her about her having a fake romantic relationship with Asbel. That wasn't something uncommon. Lots of boys and girls teased their friends about having non-existing feelings for friends of the opposite sex. It was just a joke. Heck, she had even teased a few of her people on a few occasions. So why did it hurt so much when it was done to her?

"Nausicaä, if you're not feeling well, perhaps we should end our date for tonight." Ved suggested.

Nausicaä opened her mouth to say that she would stay, but she suddenly found herself wanting to be alone right now.

"Maybe you're right." She said. "I'll probably feel better after a good night's sleep."

Ved nodded and stood up, offering her his hand. "Then shall I lead you back to your room?"

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Asbel sighed as he dragged his feet, making his way back to the palace. He had been training nonstop all day and was completely drained. But training had been the only thing he could do to get his mind off Nausicaä and Ved.

"Perhaps I over did it a bit." He said to himself. He rubbed his sore arm. "Ouch, maybe training for 14 hours nonstop wasn't such a good idea. I think I over did it a bit."

"Obviously."

Asbel jumped. He turned and found Lord Yupa leaning against the wall, giving him a disapproving look.

"Master, I was just-"

"Pushing yourself too far." Lord Yupa interrupted. He sighed and shook his head. "You're a fool. Why would you do this to yourself? Look at yourself, you can barely stand up."

Asbel looked away. "I was distracting myself."

Lord Yupa snorted. "And what a way to do it. Tell me, does the ache in your muscles surpass the ache in your heart?"

"I'm not talking about this." Asbel growled.

"Why?" Lord Yupa asked. "Does the thought of Nausicaä with another man bother you so much that you'll completely devote yourself to something else?" Asbel opened his mouth to speak, but Lord Yupa interrupted him. "No, Asbel. I told you before, don't run from love. Train all you want, or find something else to distract yourself with, but nothing will fill the void. I speak from personal experience."

"Of course you do!" Asbel seethed. "The great Lord Yupa has all the answers, doesn't he? He knows everything and can do anything!"

Lord Yupa grabbed Asbel by his shirt, pulling him closely. "Do not take your frustration out on me simply because you cannot face Nausicaä with your emotions."

Asbel winced at his master's words. "My emotions don't matter."

"You're a fool!" Lord Yupa shouted. "You say you're not worthy of Nausicaä's love, well I agree with you! Because you're showing me that you're not worthy by doing nothing!" He threw the Pejite prince away from him. "I did not take on a coward as an apprentice, so don't act like one."

Asbel watched in disbelief as his master walked away, not looking at him. It was the first time Lord Yupa had scolded him in such a way.

His fists clenched together tightly. Lord Yupa was right about one thing, he hadn't taken on a coward as an apprentice.

"Alright." He got to his feet, feeling a lot better about things. "I'm not going to be like this anymore. I won't be brought down."

Standing tall, he stormed back to the palace. His renewed spirits immediately came crashing down as he saw something that made his heart freeze in his chest. Nausicaä and Ved were standing by the entrance to the palace. They seemed to be having a conversation. Asbel immediately took cover, not wanting to be seen, but he couldn't resist listening in on their conversation.

"Well, I hope you feel better." Ved was saying.

Nausicaä smiled. "Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow."

Ved nodded, and then did something that surprised both Nausicaä and Asbel. He kissed her. It lasted for only a few seconds, but it still happened.

Ved pulled away, giving Nausicaä a smile. "Good night, Princess." He said, and walked away.

Nausicaä's hands drifted to her lips, remembering the feel of Ved's lips on hers. At the same time, Asbel's hand drifted to his chest, feeling as if his heart had been crushed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: They kissed! They kissed and Asbel saw! Poor Asbel. And now Nausicaä finds out that she and Ved had a past together. And it seems as if Lord Yupa had been the one to discover her baby Ohmu. What's going to happen next? How will Asbel handle what he saw, and what will Nausicaä do now? Find out next time. Until then, leave me some reviews.)


	8. Talking With Swords

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: This chapter is rather, how should I say, serious. How will Asbel react after what he just saw? Well, read and find out.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 8: Talking With Swords**

By the next morning, all of Asbel's self-confidence was gone. Seeing Nausicaä and Ved kiss had sent him back into a state similar to the one he was in yesterday. Regardless of what he had decided the previous day and what Lord Yupa had told him, he had once again thrown himself into his training, trying to fill the void. He found that his master was right. The training may provide a distraction, but it couldn't fill the empty space in his heart.

' _Not worthy!'_  his mind kept screaming.  _'Not worthy!'_

At the moment, he wasn't exactly sure who he was saying was unworthy. Was he saying that he wasn't worthy of Nausicaä, or that Ved wasn't?

' _Both.'_  He thought.  _'None of us are worthy. As far as I'm concerned, there is no man alive who is worthy of her.'_

He paused for a moment in his training. He saw his sweaty reflection in his sword. His eyes narrowed and he tossed the blade away.

"Of course I'm not worthy." He muttered. "Nausicaä is too pure-hearted for someone like me. After what I did… after what I allowed my people to do."

His thoughts went back two years ago to the time before he met Nausicaä. To the time when the Tolmekians had invaded Pejite. They had completely taken over the city, imprisoning everyone. They had killed his father, they had abducted his sister, they had taken the Giant Warrior.

There had been only a few of them who hadn't been captured. Asbel had been one of them. He had wanted to go after his sister, but his duty as prince came first, no matter how much he hated it. Some of his people had brought up the idea of using the Ohmu to chase away the Tolmekians. It was a cruel and dangerous move, but Asbel had allowed it to happen. He had then left to rescue his sister and make the Tolmekians pay for what they had done.

"I killed them." He whispered sadly. "And I allowed the Ohmu to destroy Pejite."

He angrily slammed his fist on the ground, splitting his skin open. He didn't care though. His guilt was hurting him much more. There had to have been a better option. But he had let his anger and hatred blind him. It had only been when he had seen Nausicaä's face as she desperately pleaded for him to stop that he had realized what he had done. True, he may have stopped it from happening to the Valley of the Wind, but he couldn't erase his past mistakes. Make up for them, maybe, but not erase them.

That was why he wasn't worthy. While Nausicaä had been willing to sacrifice herself for peace, he had chosen a violent path that had led to the deaths of others and the destruction of his kingdom.

' _But I changed.'_  He told himself.  _'I'm not like that anymore. I never wanted to be a bad person to begin with.'_  His brow furrowed in anger.  _'It was those Tolmekians. They forced our hand. They made us. They made us!'_

That's what his common sense was telling him. But somewhere in his mind, he knew that it was still his fault. Nausicaä had managed to find a way. He could have too. But he didn't. He had allowed his anger to drive him to do things he would consider to be evil.

"And that is why I'm not worthy of her." he murmured.

" _Isn't that her choice?"_  said a voice in his head, one that sounded an awful lot like Lord Yupa's.

"Great, now I'm hearing voices." He muttered to himself.

Sighing, he laid down and looked up at the sky. Lord Yupa was right, this wasn't helping. If he really wanted something, he had to go for it, otherwise he obviously didn't want it enough if he wasn't willing to do what must be done. And while he had feelings for Nausicaä, what he wanted most was for Nausicaä to be happy. And if that meant that he had to give her up to Ved, then so be it.

"A rather strange position to find a prince in."

Asbel sat up and turned to the person that spoke to him.  _'Well, speak of the devil.'_  He stood up before addressing the Kalvandir prince. "I gave up that title two years ago."

Ved raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why?"

"To become Lord Yupa's apprentice."

Apparently, his answer didn't satisfy Ved. "You didn't have to give up your prince status for that."

Asbel shrugged. "I decided that I wasn't making a very good prince."

A look of understanding crossed over Ved's face. "I assume you're talking about using the Ohmu to drive off the Tolmekians."

Asbel gave the Kalvandir prince a surprised look. "You know about that?"

Ved cut his eyes at him. "A kingdom gets completely destroyed and you think we wouldn't know about it?" He shook his head. "Perhaps you should return to your people and take up your royal position again. I'm sure they'll take you back."

Asbel nodded. "I know they will. They said they would. But I figured that I could do more good as a civilian. Perhaps I'll take up my position again when I feel responsible enough."

"Ah," said Ved, nodding, "you're afraid you'll make another mistake that will end disastrous again." He sighed. "It was a time of war. You can't blame yourself for your actions. I'm sure even the kind-hearted Nausicaä would have react badly if provoked. Humans will do what's necessary to protect themselves."

"But we shouldn't have to protect ourselves from each other."

Ved looked surprised by Asbel's choice of words. "Very insightful."

"Nausicaä told me that. And she's right. I just wish I knew and believed then what I do now."

Ved didn't reply at first. Instead, he went over to Asbel's sword and picked it up, returning it to the Pejite prince. "Then it sounds to me that she is doing her part in the prophecy." He held out Asbel's sword. "And if it makes you feel any better, I can't say if I wouldn't have made the same decision you did in dealing with the Tolmekians."

Asbel shook his head. "It wasn't my idea. I didn't support it." He looked away. "But I did nothing to stop it."

Ved was silent a moment before smiling and saying, "Lets have a friendly duel to take your mind off it."

Asbel looked surprised. "You want to duel with me? Do you even know how to handle a sword?"

Ved laughed. "Don't insult me. Of course I know. I'm nowhere near as good as Lord Yupa, but perhaps I can stand up to his apprentice." He cocked his head to the side. "I'd like to find out. So what do you say? Duel me."

Asbel thought about it a moment before standing up. "Not with real swords, I hope."

Ved laughed again. "Of course not. We'll use practice swords. Come, I have the necessary equipment in my ship."

He motioned for Asbel to follow him, leading him to the enormous airship he arrived in.

Asbel wasn't sure what he had expected to find, but an entire training room and battle arena was not it.

"You have a whole arena in here?" he cried.

Ved looked around, as if he had just noticed this. "Well, of course. Why do you think it's a bit much?"

"Does this place have its own city hall too?"

Ved found that funny. "I like you, Asbel."

He tossed the Pejite prince a sword. Asbel examined it carefully. It seemed like any other sword, but he found that it wasn't sharp. It didn't even break the skin when he ran the blade over his hand.

"We use those for practice." Ved explained. "They're safe and easy to wield. Just avoid striking me in the head. They may not be strong enough to break the skin, but they can still put an eye out."

Asbel nodded, still testing out the sword. "What are these made of?"

Ved chuckled. "Sorry, trade secret, can't tell you."

Asbel rolled his eyes. "Ok, so how do you want to do this? First strike to the torso? First to lose their weapon? First to surrender? Time limit?"

Ved waved his sword around. "Whatever you decide."

Asbel nodded. "Ok then. How about a ten minute round, or first to lose their weapon?"

Ved just smiled and headed towards the other side of the arena. He turned back to Asbel and bowed. "Whenever, you're ready."

Asbel bowed back and charged at the Kalvandir prince. Ved ran out to meet him in the middle. The two swords clanged together noisily as they met. Asbel pulled back and went in for an opening, only to have himself blocked by Ved's blade. Then Ved went in for an opening, but he too was blocked.

The two princes found themselves locked in a dance of blades as they each matched the other's movements. Asbel was surprised by Ved's skills. The Kalvandir prince was very good. He wondered who trained him.

The swords came together again, each duelist trying to push the other one back. Ved's stressed face broke out into a smile.

"You're very good." He said.

"So are you." Asbel replied, returning the compliment. "Who taught you?"

"Multiple sword masters. Although none of them are even close to the level as yours."

They broke apart and began their dance of death again.

"By the way," said Ved, as he ducked under Asbel's blade, "I should apologize about yesterday. You and Nausicaä had planned on spending the day together."

Asbel's grip on his sword tightened. "I'm just a friend. You're the one that's courting her, not me."

Ved smiled. "You can't fool me, my friend. I see it on you as plain as day." Their swords clanged together. "You're in love with her."

Asbel growled and pulled away. "What makes you-"

"Don't deny it." Interrupted Ved. "I know that you love her. The question is, what are you going to do about it?"

"What do you mean, what am I going to do about it?"

Ved sighed. "If you truly love Nausicaä, then you'll want what's best for her. That's what we all want, isn't it?"

Asbel jumped back from Ved's swinging sword. "So, what are you saying?"

"I just want you to do what you feel is best. Nausicaä is very important. We have to do what is best for her, not what we want for her or from her. If you desire her, then what is stopping you from courting her as well?"

"I-"

"Before you answer, you must think about this carefully." Ved had a very serious expression on his face. "This is more than winning Nausicaä's love. This is also about the prophecy. We can't be greedy. We have to think about what's best for the world before anything else."

"Nausicaä  _is_  the world to me!" Asbel shouted.

He charged forward. Ved made an unexpected movement and knocked the sword from Asbel's hand. The sword landed several feet away from them.

"If that is true," said Ved calmly, "then you'll be willing to do anything for her. You must make the choice that is best for her, regardless of what you want. Can you do that, Asbel?" He received no answer. Ved sighed and sheathed his sword. "I'm not saying to give up on her. By all means, court her with me. Just make sure it's the right decision."

He turned and walked away. Asbel remained where he was, thinking about what Ved had told him. He hadn't said anything that he hadn't already know, but to put it out in the open like that…

"So," said Ved, startling the Pejite prince. He tossed Asbel the practice sword again, giving him a smile. "How about a rematch?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Ved is making it very hard for Asbel to hate him. He does give him something to think about though. What's Asbel going to do next? Nausicaä wasn't in this chapter, but she'll be in the next one.)


	9. Ohmu Attack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: A new chapter has arrived. You'll finally find out how Nausicaä and Asbel will react after Ved kissed her. So I'm going to stop talking now and let you get to reading.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 9: Ohmu Attack**

It didn't matter who she asked, she always received the same answer. No one seemed to know where Asbel was. Some had seen him earlier, but no one knew where he was now. Nausicaä wondered where he had gone. They had made plans to go to the toxic jungle today after she had to cancel yesterday. So where did he go?

' _Maybe Lord Yupa's seen him.'_  She thought.

She had the same problem she had with Asbel. No one had seen the sword master, and it seemed as if Nausicaä would have to file two missing persons cases, but then she found him meditating on top of one of the many windmills.

"Figures." She muttered as she made her way up to him. She opened her mouth to alert him of her presence, but he spoke first.

"Good morning, Nausicaä."

Nausicaä blinked, noticing that his eyes were closed. How did he know it was her? She shook it off and asked, "Lord Yupa, do you know where Asbel is?"

The sword master sighed. "I have not seen him since early this morning."

Nausicaä crossed her arms. "Where has that boy gotten to? We  _did_  have plans today."

Lord Yupa opened his eyes. "You mean you had rescheduled plans today."

Nausicaä flinched, remembering how she had forgotten about their trip yesterday and had ended up spending the day with Ved instead.

"Asbel said it was ok…" she mumbled, knowing that it didn't justify her actions.

"Nausicaä," Lord Yupa sighed, "what else was he going to say?"

Nausicaä flinched again. She had known deep down that Asbel had been upset. Still, he had insisted that she go along with Ved, who had already planned out the whole day. How could she not turn down his offer without hurting Ved's feelings?

"I… I…" She sighed. "I have no excuses. I did disregard Asbel's feelings."

"You were faced with a difficult decision." Lord Yupa admitted. "And what you chose did indeed seem like the logical choice. But you have to look further into this. Asbel feels as if he's losing you."

Nausicaä blinked. "Losing me? How?" She blushed as a theory came to her.

"No one likes to lose their friend to someone else." Lord Yupa pointed out, only giving her one of the reasons he was talking about. "Since Ved is courting you, a lot of your time is being spent with him. Time that Asbel was looking forward to spending with you. On top of that, if Ved is the prophesized one and you are is his soul mate, then once this is realized, you'll have a lot of responsibilities that will take up even more of your time. He probably feels like he's being left behind."

He paused to give this a moment to sink in. He saw the worried look on Nausicaä face and realized that he made his point.

"I've got to find Asbel!" she cried. "I don't want to lose my friendship with him. I'm  _not_  going to. I have to make him realize this."

"Is it friendship you want from him?" Lord Yupa asked seriously.

Nausicaä did a double take, surprised by the question. She opened her mouth to reply, but the sword master gave her a look that stopped her from saying whatever she was going to say.

"Is it that obvious?" she asked.

Lord Yupa shrugged. "If you know what to look for it is." He cocked his head to the side. "Do you love him?"

Nausicaä crossed her arms, thinking about it. "I'm not sure. I might."

"Well you should really find out. Before it's too late."

Nausicaä didn't like the sound of that. "What do you mean, 'before it's too late'?"

Lord Yupa sighed again. "He saw you and Ved kiss last night."

It felt as if the world had fallen out from under Nausicaä's feet. Asbel had seen? He had seen! No, no one was supposed to see that. It wasn't even supposed to happen. True, it had been nowhere near unpleasant, but she had wanted to be the one to decide who her first kiss would belong to. And not only had it not gone to the person she had been hoping to give it to, but he had seen it go to someone else.

"Oh no." she whispered. "Asbel. I need to talk to him before it's too late."

"Calm yourself, Nausicaä." Lord Yupa told her. "You and Asbel have a special connection. A bond like yours can't be broken so easily. That's what true friendship is about. Things may come between you, but if you're patient and don't give up," he turned her around, and she saw Asbel and Ved walking back from the airship, "friends will always come back."

"Asbel!" Nausicaä cried, hurrying down the windmill.

Lord Yupa smirked. "All will be well."

"Asbel!" Nausicaä called to the Pejite prince, hurrying over to him.

"Oh, hey Nausicaä." Asbel replied, trying to keep the depression out of his voice. "How are you?"

"I've been looking for you." she said. "We were supposed to go to the toxic jungle today."

Asbel stared at her for a moment before smacking his forehead. "Oh, stupid! We were. I'm sorry, I got distracted."

Ved raised his hand. "My apologies. This is my fault. I asked Asbel to spar with me." He sighed. "It seems like I keep causing problems for the two of you. I keep interfering with your plans."

"It's not your fault." Asbel replied. "You were trying to help me. It's not like you were trying to keep us apart."

"That is besides the point." Said Ved. "I insist that the two of you go about your plans as you had intended. Spend the day together tomorrow as well if you need to. I shall stay out of your way until then. I promise you won't see me at all."

Nausicaä chuckled. "No need to go that far."

"I insist. And I shall now take my leave."

He bowed to them and headed off. Nausicaä and Asbel were left alone. The awkward silence had settled in. Neither knew what to say to the other. What did you say to someone in this situation?

They both settled on ignoring it.

"Do you still want to go to the toxic jungle?" Nausicaä asked.

Any other time, Asbel would have said yes. But he was exhausted. He had been training for hours, and had spared off with Ved awhile. But there was no way he was going to refuse time to spend with Nausicaä.

"I'm actually really tired right now." He said. "Been practicing for a long time."

Nausicaä chuckled. "I can see that."

"But since you're free tomorrow, can we go then?" he asked hopefully.

The princess nodded. "Sounds good to me."

"Great. Then how about I get cleaned up and you can show me more of your lab."

Nausicaä smiled and winked at him. "I'll meet you there. Don't keep me waiting long."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"I always liked this one the most." Said Nausicaä, as she watered a particularly colorful plant. "I am so glad I found a way to decontaminate these plants. They're just too beautiful to not be able to admire without worrying about them killing you."

Asbel was a little less enthusiastic about the beauty of the plants. "I can see what you're saying, but try living in the toxic jungle for two years, seeing these things all the time, then see how fascinating they are."

Nausicaä rolled her eyes. "Boys just never understand the beauty of plants."

"I understand them," Asbel insisted, "I just get tired of looking at them after so long."

Nausicaä sighed and shook her head. "I'm thinking that I might be able to crossbreed a few plants while they're still toxic and then use their spores to make a new antitoxin."

Asbel tapped his chin. "That's an interesting idea."

"I'll need to collect more samples. Hmm, I wonder why the insects are immune to the jungle's toxins. Maybe if I can get a blood sample I can identify it. Maybe Ved can help, he has a lab too."

Asbel suddenly frowned, the thought of Nausicaä and Ved spending more time together depressing him. "Yeah… he's pretty great, isn't he?"

Nausicaä noted his sadness and knew that it was related to what happened between her and Ved. She decided that the subject couldn't be avoided forever.

"Hey, Asbel…"

Asbel quickly hid his depression. "Yeah, what's up?"

She hesitated before speaking. "About… about me and Ved-"

Asbel was quick to interrupt her. "Ah, don't worry about it. It's none of my business. After all, he may be the prophesized one. That's what you're trying to find out, right?"

Nausicaä looked away and slowly nodded. "Yeah, but… about… about last night… I know you saw us when we… we…"

Asbel paled, afraid that she would assume he was spying on her. "I swear, I wasn't spying or anything! I was just heading in that direction and-"

"I know!" said Nausicaä quickly, realizing that he was getting the wrong impression. "I just want you to know that it had been Ved that kissed me. I wasn't expecting it. He just… just…"

Asbel felt his fingernails dig into his palm as jealous filled him. He didn't want  _anyone_  to be kissing Nausicaä. Well, he didn't have much of a say in the matter if Nausicaä initiated the kiss, but someone else made the move first and caught Nausicaä off guard… How dare they! How dare-"

"Asbel?"

The Pejite prince blinked as Nausicaä voice brought him out of his jealous thoughts. "Huh? What?"

"You feeling ok?"

Asbel took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm fine." His eyes narrowed. "He didn't force it on you, did he?"

Nausicaä shook her head. "No, no, he didn't."

It was true. He had kissed her, and it had been unexpected, but it hadn't been forced.

Asbel sighed in relief. "Oh… well, that's good." He said.

Although a very small part of him had hoped that it had been forced; it would have given him an excuse to hit Ved.

Shaking away such unwanted thoughts, he asked the question that had been plaguing him, and that he hadn't meant to ask. "So, how was it?" He immediately regretted asking the moment the words were out of his mouth.

Nausicaä turned beet red and looked away again. "It was… well, I'm not sure. It was my… my first kiss."

First kiss. First kiss! Ved had stolen Nausicaä's first kiss! The thought infuriated Asbel. Bad enough for him to steal a kiss, but to steal Nausicaä's  _first_  kiss!

"I didn't kiss him back though." Nausicaä clarified. "Maybe that's why I can't figure out if I enjoyed it or not." She thought for a moment. "Does it even count if I don't kiss back?"

Asbel was surprised out of his jealousy by the question. "Um, I, uh… I don't know how to answer that." He said, feeling calmer. He turned away to hide his expression. "But if you want my opinion, I would say no. To me, a real kiss is shared between two people, both kissing the other one."

Nausicaä looked somewhat happier. "So, since I didn't kiss him back, it wasn't an actual kiss."

Asbel nodded. "That's what I would say."

"So then, I can still give my first kiss to someone else."

She sounded much closer now. Asbel turned to her and was surprised to find her face very close to his. When had she gotten closer?

"Y-Yeah… I would say so…" he said nervously.

A serious look appeared in Nausicaä's eyes. "I would say so too." She moved closer. "Asbel…"

She was being very forward. Asbel tried to speak, but nothing came out. Instead he found himself moving closer to her. He suddenly had a feeling of déjà vu. Hadn't they been in a situation similar to this right before the Kalvandirs came? And this time there was no one to interrupt them. Just a little closer and-"

"Princess!"

The door burst open, as someone ran inside. Nausicaä and Asbel jumped apart, surprised by the unexpected, and  _very_  unwelcome entry.

"Princess!"

Nausicaä regained her composure. "Mito, good to see you." she said, trying to keep the frustration out of her voice.

"Princess, you must come quickly!" Mito cried.

Nausicaä's irritation faded away as she saw the desperation in his face. "What happened? What's wrong?"

"An Ohmu is attacking!"

Nausicaä's eyes widened fearfully. "What? Why?"

"Did someone disturb the insects?" asked Asbel, looking equally as worried.

Mito shook his head. "We don't know, but one is coming right for us!"

Nausicaä ran out of the room with Asbel close behind her. "Mito, get my glider!" she shouted over her shoulder.

They hurried outside and looked towards the toxic jungle. The giant form of an Ohmu was indeed heading for the Valley of the Wind, it's eyes red with rage. It was still rather far away, but it was rapidly approaching.

"It's on the attack alright." Said Asbel. "But what set it off?"

"I don't know." Nausicaä replied. "But I hope I can stop it."

"What?" Asbel cried. "I'm not letting you go after an angry Ohmu."

Nausicaä smiled confidently. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I am the prophesized one's soul mate. Besides, I've handled more angry Ohmu than this before. Mito, where's my glider?"

"Right here, princess!" Mito cried, running over to her with her glider.

"Great, thanks."

She snatched the glider from him and got ready to take off.

"Be careful." Asbel cried.

"I will!"

She took a running start and jumped in the air. Her glider rode on the ever-blowing wind, allowing her to achieve flight as she raced towards the enraged Ohmu.

"Ohmu, please, go back to you jungle!" she pleaded to the giant insect. "Be a good boy and go back home! Whatever we did, we're sorry! Please leave us alone!"

If the Ohmu even heard her cries, it completely ignored her. Nausicaä decided that she would need to use her flash grenades, and she unleashed them upon the Ohmu.

The Ohmu came to a sudden halt as the flash grenades stunned it. Nausicaä used this opportunity to try to calm it with her insect charm.

"Ok now, wake up and go home like a good Ohmu." She said as the insect charm whistled in her hand.

She circled around the Ohmu's head, waiting for it to wake up. But when it did, the eyes were not the light blue she expected, but they were still the angry red color, signifying that it was still very much enraged.

' _My flash grenades and insect charm didn't affect it at all.'_  She gasped.  _'What could have enraged it so much?'_

Then the Ohmu did something completely unexpected. It actually turned to face her, its golden tentacles shooting out of its mouth; no longer as communicators, but as deadly whips.

' _It's attacking me!'_  she realized.

She turned her glider to avoid the normally gentle tentacles, but one of them still struck her leg. Although it was different from normally being  _touched_  by an Ohmu, she still caught its emotions. The Ohmu was feeling great anger and confusion. Something was driving it to this violent behavior. But before she could see what else it was feeling, she lost the connection.

The Ohmu began thrashing about violently. Nausicaä flew her glider away from it, hoping it would follow. If she couldn't calm its fury, then she would at least lead it away from her valley.

As she hoped, the Ohmu gave chase, its tentacles flying around in an attempt to swat her from the sky.

"Need a hand?"

Nausicaä nearly fell off her glider in surprise as the familiar voice of Ved reached her. She looked to her left and saw him flying towards her on some sort of surfboard version of her glider.

"Ved, what?"

He smiled and winked at her. "I'll handle it from here. You head back to your valley."

"Are you crazy?" she cried. "There's something wrong with this Ohmu! It's too dangerous!"

Ved didn't seem discouraged. "Trust me. It will be all right. I have a special connection with the Ohmu."

"But Ved-"

"Trust me." He repeated. "I know I can do this. I'll come back to you."

Nausicaä hesitated. She didn't want to leave Ved alone to face the Ohmu. She had thought that she could handle it, but wasn't able to. What if Ved couldn't either?

Ved gave her no more time to decide as he got dangerously close to the Ohmu. It didn't take much for him to gain the Ohmu's attention, and soon it was focused on him as he led it away from Nausicaä and the valley.

"Ved!" she cried.

"Don't worry about me!" he cried. "I'll be fine."

Nausicaä didn't like it, but she decided to trust that Ved knew what he was doing and she headed back to her valley.

"Princess, what happened?" someone asked once she landed.

She hopped off her glider. "I don't know. I couldn't calm it. Something was wrong with it."

"What's he doing?" someone asked.

Nausicaä looked out to where Ved was circling over the Ohmu's head. "I can't tell." She said, putting her hand over her head to shade her vision. "It looks like he's… talking to it."

"Talking to it?" Said Lord Yupa, seeming to pop up out of nowhere. "Will his words really reach it?"

"We have faith in our prince." A Kalvandir said. "Look, behold his power."

Nausicaä's eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. The Ohmu had stopped its aggressive movements and its red eyes slowly changed to their calm blue color.

"I don't believe it." Lord Yupa whispered. "He actually stopped it."

"I couldn't even stop it." Nausicaä murmured, watching in awe as the Ohmu headed back to the toxic jungle. "Could he really be… the one the legend speaks of?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Yes, I did it again. I interrupted Nausicaä and Asbel's kiss. Don't hate me for it. Besides, there are now slightly more important matters happening. An Ohmu, for some unknown reason, was driven into a state of rage and actually attacked Nausicaä. And Ved was able to succeed where she failed. Is he really the prophesized one, and what set off the Ohmu? The only way to find out is to keep reading.)


	10. Discoveries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Things start to escalate in this chapter. As the title tells you, discoveries are made in this chapter. What will they be? Read and see.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 10: Discoveries**

The people of the Valley of the Wind had begun to believe that just maybe what the Kalvandirs claimed was true. After seeing the way Ved had stopped the Ohmu when their princess failed had made the possibility seem very likely. Even Lord Yupa was considering it as an actual possibility. And though he hated to admit it, so did Asbel. The evidence was apparent. According to his people, Ved had walked down a road of gold, clad in blue, and then he succeeded where the Nausicaä had not. How could he, or anyone, argue with what had taken place.

Nausicaä, on the other hand, was busy with other things. True, she had indeed become more convinced of the possibility of Ved being the prophesized one, but that, as far as she was concerned, that could wait. There was something more important that was demanding her attention.

Something had driven that Ohmu into a frenzy. Whatever it was had upset, confused, and angered it to the point that not even she could calm it. She was afraid that something like that might happen again. And what if next time Ved couldn't even stop it?

Looking down at the fox-squirrel in her lap, Nausicaä scratched behind his ears. "What could have possibly happened to that Ohmu?" she wondered out loud.

Teto squeaked in response, though it was probably just a squeak of affection from her petting. Nausicaä smiled down at him and looked out the window at her sleeping kingdom. She noted that the Kalvandir ship was still lit up, meaning that people were up and about. What could they be doing so late at night?

Her gaze shifted to her door when the sound of someone knocking came from it. Nausicaä cocked her head to the side, wondering who would be bothering her this late at night when she was supposedly asleep.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"It is me, child." Came Obaba's voice from the other side.

Nausicaä opened the door, allowing the old blind woman to enter. "Obaba, what are you doing here? You should be asleep."

"As should you, child." Obaba replied. "However it seems that recent events are preventing both of us from getting our shuteye." Nausicaä nodded, realizing that she couldn't argue with that. "Besides, I wished to speak to you without anyone listening."

Nausicaä crossed her arms. "I never knew you were so untrusting."

Obaba shook her head. "No, not untrusting, child, cautious. We must be careful."

"Why?"

Obaba considered her words for a moment. "There may be someone among us that is untrustworthy."

"What do you mean?" Nausicaä had no clue what the old woman was talking about. Who was untrustworthy?

Obaba paused before answering, trying to figure out how to put what she wanted to say into words. "Being blind is indeed a handicap that no one desires, however, there are certain advantages that come with it. Your other senses become much sharper. You begin to realize things that you did not when you relied on your sight."

Nausicaä nodded. "I can believe that."

"I can feel it in my bones, child." Obaba continued. "Something is not right."

"You mean the Ohmu attacking me?"

"More than that!" the old woman insisted. "Something was terribly wrong earlier. It happened during the time the Ohmu attacked. There was something, I cannot say what, but there was indeed something that was not the way it should be. Did you not sense it?"

Nausicaä opened her mouth to say that she didn't, but closed it again as she remembered the emotions the rampaging Ohmu had given off. Something had been wrong. Something unnatural that not even the insects knew about.

"I did. Not myself, but through the Ohmu. Something was driving it into its state of rage."

"Indeed. I am convinced that what was affecting the Ohmu was the same thing I sensed."

"Definitely something worth looking into." Nausicaä decided. "Maybe Ved can help. He does have better technology than we do."

"True." Obaba agreed. "And it was him that stilled the Ohmu. He has a powerful aura about him."

Again, Nausicaä nodded. "Do you think he's the one?"

"Possibly." Obaba admitted. "I would definitely put him on the list of candidates."

Nausicaä raised an eyebrow. "List of candidates?"

Obaba chuckled. "A figure of speech, child. It is indeed possible. However…"

"However?" What was 'however' supposed to mean.

"Yes, however. You see, I have been having thoughts on things."

"Such as?"

Obaba sighed. "Prophecies and predictions are never accurate. They normally happen naturally. If they are meant to be, then they are meant to be."

"I don't understand what you're talking about."

"Perhaps we should stop trying so hard."

Nausicaä's arms fell to her side. Now she was completely lost. "Stop trying so… I'm sorry, what?"

"We are trying to  _make_ the prophecy come true. It is said that by trying to stop a prophecy, that we actually make it happen faster or actually make it occur. We are going about trying to locate the one in the legend. Maybe by trying to make the prophecy come to pass, we are actually delaying it or stopping it."

Nausicaä gulped. She hadn't thought of that. It wasn't irrational either. This could very well be a possibility. If the legend didn't come to pass, would mankind continue down it's path of darkness until it eventually died out. The thought sent a shiver down Nausicaä's spin.

"Then what do you suggest?"

Obaba shook her head. "It's is not my place to make these decisions. You are one of the two in the prophecy. The choice is up to you. I am merely giving you all the possibilities."

Nausicaä sighed. Great, just what she needed, something else to worry about. But perhaps Obaba was right. Maybe they should stop trying so hard. Maybe the answers to all their questions were right under their noses.

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Lord Yupa was always a light sleeper. It came from his training; always on guard. Even the smallest of noises would wake him. He could also feel when someone was watching him, even in the deepest of sleep.

And it just so happened that it was this sensation that stirred him from his slumber. He awoke to the feeling of being watched. That shouldn't have been possible since the only other person in the room was Asbel, who was currently asleep.

No, the watcher, whoever they were, weren't even in the room. Lord Yupa felt them watching him from behind. And his back was to a window. Meaning that whoever was, for lack of a better word, spying on him had climbed up the wall and was peering in through the window.

The sword master's eyes narrowed. Who would be spying on him? Or perhaps it was Asbel they were spying on. Either way, he didn't like it.

His eyes darted across the room, over to the mirror hanging on the wall. He saw a person dressed in black watching him through the window. He couldn't tell who they were, mostly due to the mask they were wearing rather than the darkness. Well, if they wanted to watch him, then he would watch them.

Whoever they were, they didn't stick around long. No more than five minutes passed before they moved on. Lord Yupa's eyes narrowed. He didn't like being spied on. He was going to get to the bottom of this.

After making a few arrangements to his bed that made it look like he was still in it, Lord Yupa snuck out. He too knew how to move about without being detected by others. He just hoped that whoever had been spying on him didn't have as sharp of a sense as he did.

Once outside, and well hidden, Lord Yupa's eyes darted around to locate the trespassers. He was surprised to find quite a few. He counted at least twenty. They were crawling along the walls like the insects crawled up the trees. And they seemed to be looking in all the windows.

' _What is this?'_  Lord Yupa thought.  _'Is this some sort of attack? Are these people responsible for the Ohmu's rampage earlier?'_

Then he realized that it wasn't just the palace that these strangers were crawling all over, but all the houses. Just what was this? Maybe he could knock one out and interrogate them later.

No, there were too many to pull off something like that without being discovered. He settled for just watching them as they continued to crawl over the houses, occasionally looking back in the window of his and Asbel's room. He had been right to make a decoy.

It was when the first rays of dawn appeared that the intruders retreated. Lord Yupa's eyes narrowed as he saw them heading for the Kalvandir ship. For some reason, this didn't surprise him. He very carefully followed, being as careful as possible to remain in what was left of the darkness the dawn provided.

The intruders lined up as the doors opened and two people exited. The first person looked like the head of Ved's royal guards, based on the way he was dressed. The second person he recognized as the short bald man that had been so eager to please his prince when the Kalvandirs first arrived, Ken, he believed his name was. Only now, instead of the happy helpful look he had worn before, he had a stuck up confidant smirk on his face as he looked at the spies.

"Well, what did you discover?" he asked.

One of the men in black stepped forward, bowing. "Sir, they were all sleeping peacefully. None of them suspect a thing." He hesitated. "Well, almost none of them."

The head guard stepped forward. "Explain!" he demanded.

"The old blind woman suspects something. She knows nothing of our plans, but she knows something is amiss and has informed the Guide."

The head guard glanced at Ken. "Sir?"

Ken just smirked. "The princess is of no threat to us. So some crazy old bat senses that something is wrong. As far as they're concerned, it's just a hunch. They have no knowledge on anything."

The head guard nodded. "Then is everything going according to plan?"

Ken nodded. "Yes, no one but us knows anything. It shouldn't be too hard to manipulate the Guide. And once we get her, I'm sure the prince will come as well, then all his people will follow him, just like the princess' people will follow her."

"Do you think he will go along with this?"

"Of course." Ken insisted. "Love makes people do foolish things."

The head guard nodded and turned to the spies. "That will be all. You may retire for the night."

"Sir!" the spies cried, and headed inside.

Ken snickered. "Phase one is complete. Now we just need the Guide to fall for our prince. Come, Roy."

The head guard nodded and followed Ken inside, the doors closing behind them.

Lord Yupa let out the breath he had been holding. So that's what was going on some sort of conspiracy within the Kalvandir kingdom. From what he could gather, it seemed as if this Ken was the mastermind behind it. It wouldn't be the first story he'd heard of a person of lower statues, but on good terms with royalty, that wanted more power. It looked like he was trying to get Nausicaä and Ved together and then find a way to control them both. Then there would be two kingdoms at his mercy.

"The Guide, huh?" Lord Yupa muttered. "That's one way to refer to Nausicaä. If she and Ved do fall for each other, and if Ken finds some way to control Nausicaä, Ved will follow her since she is the guide for the prophesized one. Assuming that Ved is the prophesized one."

But there were too many things he wasn't aware of. He needed more information on what was going on. He decided to bring this to Asbel's attention and the two of them would get to the bottom of this.

"I knew something like this would happen." he whispered, before taking off while the rising sun still left some darkness behind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: It looks like a conspiracy is gong on. Seems like old Ken wants more power than he has and is playing both Ved and Nausicaä. But is there more to the plan than just that? That's what Lord Yupa is going to find out. And what about Obaba's knew theory? Could they actually be delaying the prophecy? Things are really becoming complicated, and I love it. Hope you do too. Let me know.)


	11. Investigating

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Good news and bad news. The bad news is that I've got a writer's block… again, which is why this chapter was a little late. The good news is, as you can see from this chapter, I'm just about over it. Still having a little bit of plot trouble, but nothing I can't work out on. Just be patient and your patience will pay off.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 11: Investigating**

"Just wait, just wait." Asbel muttered. "As if I would really wait."

He crept along the wall of Kalvandir ship, having somehow made it inside without being detected. Surely his master had known that he wouldn't just sit quietly and wait it out. If it concerned Nausicaä, then it was top priority to Asbel. The moment Lord Yupa had opened his mouth.

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" _They're trying to what?" Asbel shouted._

_Lord Yupa put his finger to his lips. "Hush, Asbel. Not so loud. I said that it appears that Ken is attempting to get_ _Nausica_ _ä and Ved together and then control them both."_

" _How? Why?"_

" _Control the ones in the legend, and he could control humanity. That's the why. As for the how, I am still working on that."_

_Asbel stopped pacing. "I'm getting to the bottom of this."_

_Lord Yupa sighed and grabbed the back of Asbel's shirt as he passed. "You are not going to do anything right now. And neither am I."_

_Asbel angrily whirled around. "I am not going to just stand by and let_ _Nausica_ _ä get manipulated by some power hungry nutcase!"_

" _Nor am I." Lord Yupa grunted. "But you're too emotionally attached to_ _Nausica_ _ä and are in no state of mind to do anything right now. Be angry if you must, but don't let your anger blind you."_

" _But_ _Nausica_ _ä-"_

" _Can take care of herself for the time being. Ken may have something planned, but he's underestimating_ _Nausica_ _ä. We will get to the bottom of this, but not right now."_

_Asbel growled impatiently. "Then what are we going to do."_

_Lord Yupa stood up. "I suggest that you meditate for awhile to clear your head. As for me, I have been up all night and am tired. I'm going to take a nap." After a few seconds he muttered, "Don't do anything stupid or restless."_

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Asbel snorted. "He would definitely consider this to be both stupid and reckless."

Two guards walked by and Asbel ducked out of sight. This was probably not the best of ideas, but it was all he had. Whenever someone he cared about was in trouble, Asbel tended to act without thinking, just as he did when Lestella was kidnapped.

"Not going to let things turn out like that again."

His eyes scanned the area, looking out for any other Kalvandirs. He didn't know which ones were loyal to Ved and which ones were loyal to this Ken person, so he decided to just avoid them all.

Coming out of hiding, Asbel made his way down the hall as he went over the plan again. Find Ken, interrogate him, save Nausicaä.

"Definitely stupid and reckless."

He came to a halt, recognizing his surroundings. Ved had led him down this way when they went to spar off in the training room. Surely the butler, or whatever Ken was to Ved, wouldn't be on this level, would he?

"Why can't there be a map for this place?"

The sound of footsteps caught his attention. Panicking, Asbel began looking around for another hiding place. The only place he saw available was above him.

"It's always in the air ducts." He said, as he went into hiding again.

Beneath him, the guards walked by, completely unaware of the Pejite prince hiding right above their heads. Asbel waited until their footsteps died away before he began moving, deciding to stay in the air ducts for awhile.

"I'm getting nowhere fast." He mumbled, wondering if he should have waited like Lord Yupa told him to. A little late for that now, but perhaps he should listen to his master some more in the future.

He paused for a moment, trying to think about this some more. He was cluelessly crawling through an air duct after breaking into the Kalvandir ship to save Nausicaä from the plot of a guy that he had only seen for three minutes, and he somehow planned on finding said man in this enormous ship, that he had only entered once before, and get his questions answered,

"I am so in over my head." He said to himself. He took a deep breath, calming himself. Maybe he should have taken some time to meditate. Clear his mind and really come up with a plan that didn't involve trespassing and holding a person hostage. "Maybe I should have spoken to Nausicaä or Ved."

He began crawling again, wondering just where he was now. Crawling around in here made him lose his sense of direction. Which way did he come from? Which way was he going?

As Asbel tried to figure things out, a loud noise echoed through the air ducts. Asbel covered his ears to block out the sound as his eardrums pulsed painfully.

"What the heck was that?"

The sound came again, although this time there was something slightly different about it. It was also familiar. Where had he heard that sound before?

Being as quiet as possible, to not alert anyone to his presence, he crawled through the air ducts. The strange yet familiar sound came again, only this time it was louder. At least he knew that he was heading in the right direction. He would just find out what it was and then leave, and hopefully run into Ken on the way since he had no idea where he was in the giant metal maze.

The sound came again, but this time it was coming from behind him. "Looks like I passed it." He muttered, and doubled back.

He took the turn that seemed like it would lead him to the source of the noise, which was now louder than ever, and came the end of the air duct. A whirling fan spun around in front of him. He could see the shadow of something moving in the room, which seemed to be the source of the noise.

"Might as well," he muttered, "I've come this far."

Using an Ohmu shell knife, the only substance that he was carrying that he was sure that wouldn't break, he put it in the path of the fan's whirling blades. With a loud screeching bang, the blades came to a stop. Anyone nearby would have heard that, he would have to make this fast.

Crawling through the small space, he entered the room, surprised by the size. This was by far the largest room in the ship; it had to be. But what surprised him the most was what he saw in the middle of it. There was no doubt that it was this that was making the noise he had heard, and he knew why it sounded so familiar.

Held in place by giant metal bars was what appeared to be an Ohmu of some kind. Only this Ohmu, if that's indeed what it was, was different from the others. It was bigger than the average Ohmu, not the size of a queen, but still very big. Rather than having blue eyes, it had black, though they did flicker red every now and then, and it body was covered in plates, rather than the smooth layers of shell than other Ohmus had. It also had antennas growing out of the top of its head, the two of them held in place what seemed to be mechanical arms.

Never in his entire life had Asbel seen or heard of an insect like this. Was it an undiscovered species, or perhaps a new one entirely? Whatever it was, it was definitely being held against its will.

The insect wailed again, attempting to free itself, quite unsuccessfully. Asbel put his hands over his ears to block out the cry. Was this what had brought the Ohmu that had attack? Had it heard its fellow insect's cry and come to help it?

"Whoever knew that Pejites were so nosey?"

Asbel turned when he heard the person speak. He saw nothing, but instead felt a painful blow to the head. Then everything went black.

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The pulsing in his head was what woke him. With each beat of his heart, it felt like someone had hit the inside of his head with a hammer. Slowly his eyes fluttered open, and he was greeted by blurry vision.

"What happened?" he murmured, placing a hand to his head. The last thing he remembered was finding that insect and… "Oh yeah, someone hit me."

He tried to stand up and lost his balance. He thought that he might have a concussion. Did they have to hit him so hard? He felt his forehead and felt dry blood. Was that really necessary? Wouldn't a simple "Freeze!" or "Put your hands up!" have been good enough?

' _Probably didn't want to take any chances with Lord Yupa's apprentice.'_  He thought.

"Good, you're awake."

Even that person's voice was making his head hurt. Turning in the direction of the speaker, Asbel saw the very person he had broken into the Kalvandir airship to find. Only there were metal bars separating the two of them.

"You don't look so good." Ken commented.

Asbel opened his mouth to answer, but instead he ended up vomiting. The pounding in his head nearly made him pass out again.

"Oh dear." Ken snickered. He looked to the head guard standing beside him. "I think you hit him a little too hard, Roy."

"You think?" Asbel growled.

Roy shrugged. "Trespassers will be punished. You had no right being in that room, or aboard this ship for that matter." His eyes narrowed. "To be honest, I'm surprised you made it so far in undetected. Though that little stunt you pulled with the fan gave you away."

"Figures." Asbel muttered.

Ken laughed and patted Roy's side, since it was as high as he could reach. "No need to be rude. Prince Ved wouldn't want us to treat his friend unkindly."

"You already did!" Asbel snapped, wincing at the volume of his own voice as it echoed in his cell.

"Then let me correct that mistake." The small man cocked his head to the side. "You obviously came in here expecting to find something. Did you get your answers, or do you still want more?"

Wiping his mouth, Asbel glared at the balding man. "I know that you're planning to take over."

"Oh?"

"You're using Nausicaä and Ved because of their part in the legend. You want them to fall in love so everyone will recognize Ved as the prophesized one. Then you plan to control them both, thus controlling society."

"So you came to interrogate me." Ken finished for him. He nodded his head, looking impressed. "Very clever, boy. Very clever." A smug grin spread over his face. "But you give me too much credit. I'm not the mastermind behind all this. I just follow orders. Whether it is right or wrong, I obey the Kalvandir royal family. I just want what's best for them. Prince Ved is all that remains, so I will do anything for him."

Asbel narrowed his eyes. "Including lying and manipulating him. Playing with his feelings."

Ken laughed. "You still haven't figured it out. His royal highness is not a pawn, he's a player."

Asbel's eyes widened. "What?"

The door opened and the very person they were talking about walked in. Ved stared at Asbel through the bars, his usual calm content expression now looking irritable.

"Asbel, how could you?" he said. "I thought we had a friendship going on, but then you go and betray my trust by breaking into my airship. I'm crushed."

Asbel struggled to find something to say. "Y-You… you're part of this?"

Ved raised an eyebrow. "Part of it, Asbel, I'm  _behind_ it. This whole thing was my idea."

"But," Asbel nodded in Ken's direction, "he said that once you get Nausicaä on you're side, that you'll be sure that you'll follow."

Ken laughed. "Stupid foolish boy. What I actually said was that once we get the Guide on our said, I was sure that  _the prince_  would follow. I wasn't talking about our prince, I was talking about  _you_."

"Me?"

"Of course. It's obvious to all of us that you're in love with the Guide, and therefore go along with whatever she decides to do. Therefore, your people of Pejite will go along with you."

Asbel was rendered speechless. They had been talking about him. Of course, he was a prince too. He and Lord Yupa had just assumed that they were talking about Ved. Now he felt really foolish. Looks like Lord Yupa was right about getting more information before making any rash decisions.

"What are you doing with Nausicaä?" Asbel demanded.

Ved cut his eyes at him. "You mean you haven't figured it out yet? You really are slow. Very well, I shall explain it to you. According to the prophecy, the one that the Guide falls in love with will be the one to lead humanity out of the darkness. All I have to do is convince Nausicaä that she loves me, and that I am the prophesized one. At least fool her long to convince the people that I'm the prophesized one. After that, her part will be over, and we can get her out of the way. And then I will be the one whole world looks up to."

Asbel's nails bit into his palm as his teeth clenched together tightly. "You're just using her, playing around with her feelings. And I guess it's safe to assume that that story of how you descended a field of gold and everything else you told us is nonsense too?"

Ved smirked. "Finally you're catching on. Of course it's all nonsense. But the people are becoming so desperate that their making this too easy." He turned away. "I'm afraid I can't waste any more time speaking to you. I have things I need to do. Ken, Roy, lets go."

"Yes, sir." The two replied.

"Wait!" Asbel cried. "What about that insect you have? What are you doing with it?"

Ved stopped at the door. Glancing over his shoulder, he smirked at the Pejite prince. "Sorry, that's classified."

The door slammed shut behind him, and Asbel was left alone in the darkness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Who saw it coming? I thought that some of you probably guessed that Ved was fooling everyone from the beginning, so I tried to throw you off course. Did it work? Either way, Asbel is now in a jam, and only Lord Yupa knows of the plan, somewhat. Can he help Asbel? And what about Nausicaä? And what is the strange new insect Asbel found? There's more to come. Just hope I completely get over my writer's block soon. I know, maybe some reviews will help. Hint, hint.)


	12. Truth and Lies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: No reviews? Come on, I want to know how people are enjoying my story. But I guess that if you're reading it, then you're enjoying it, but reviews would be nice. So, here's the next chapter.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 12: Truth and Lies**

Even before Lord Yupa opened his eyes, he knew that the Pejite prince wasn't in the room. It was very obvious where he had gone, and Lord Yupa sighed in frustration.

"Oh, Asbel, why don't you listen?"

He got up and retrieved his sword, heading out to the Kalvandir ship. He didn't want to look like he suspected anything, so he asked everyone he ran into if they had seen his apprentice, receiving that same answer every time.

Pressing the button on the large steel door, the sword master waited patiently for the Kalvandirs to respond to his call. He didn't have to wait long as one of the guards appeared on the screen.

" _How may I assist you?"_  the guard asked.

"I am searching for Asbel." Lord Yupa replied calmly, making sound as if he was simply curious as to where his apprentice currently was.

The guard frowned.  _"I do apologize, Lord Yupa, but Asbel is not here. I have been working monitor all day, and he has not stopped by."_

Whether the guard was lying or not, Lord Yupa wasn't sure, especially since he figured that Asbel had most likely snuck in. He simply bowed his head to the guard and turned to leave.

"Thank you for your time. Should you see him, please tell him that I am searching for him."

The guard nodded.  _"Will do, sir. Is there anything else that I can do for you?"_

Lord Yupa waved over his shoulder as he continued walking away. "No thank you. Have a good day."

His outward appearance made it seem as if he wasn't concerned about his apprentice, but inside the sword master was very worried.  _'Asbel, what has happened to you?'_

He decided not to jump to conclusions until he had all the facts. Perhaps Asbel had simply decided to watch over Nausicaä rather than investigate the Kalvandirs. He made his way to the palace to search for the princess. One of the servants informed him that she was in the dining all, having breakfast, and he went to meet her.

He found her sitting at the large table, feeding what she did not finish to Teto, giggling as the little fox-squirrel gobbled down the food.

"Oh, Lord Yupa, good morning." She greeted. "Did you sleep alright?"

The sword master nodded. "I slept fine."

"That's good to hear. Would you care for some breakfast?"

Lord Yupa shook his head. "Perhaps later. I'm looking for Asbel, have you seen him?"

Nausicaä frowned. "No, not since yesterday. Perhaps he's training with Ved again."

Again, Lord Yupa shook his head. "I checked the training arena, he was not there. Nor had he gone to the Kalvandir ship."

"Hmm." Nausicaä tapped her chin. "Where could he have gone? He wouldn't have gone into the toxic jungle, would he?"

"Not without informing someone, at least you or me."

Nausicaä pushed out her chair and stood up. "I'll help you look for him. Let's ask Ved, perhaps he's seen him."

As the two left the dining hall, they ran into the very person that they were searching for. The moment he saw him, Lord Yupa could tell that something was wrong. There was a strange atmosphere around Ved that he hadn't sensed or noticed before.

Ved bowed to the two of them. "Nausicaä, Lord Yupa, good morning to you both."

While Lord Yupa remained silent, Nausicaä greeted the Kalavandir like any other morning. "Hello, Ved, good morning."

Ved nodded to her. "Nausicaä, I have something I need to tell you."

Nausicaä nodded. "Ok, but first, have you seen Asbel? No one seems to know where he is."

Ved frowned. "That' s actually what I needed to speak to you about." He told her, his voice full of concern. "Last night, Asbel asked to speak to me early in the morning. He had some rather… strange news."

Lord Yupa narrowed his eyes. "What did he say?" he asked, not ready to believe what he was about to hear.

Ved sighed. "He's gone. Asbel's gone."

Nausicaä's mouth literally dropped open. "W-What? Gone?"

Ved nodded. "Yes, he said something about having to find his own path and becoming a better person." He gave Nausicaä a sympathetic look. "He said that he didn't want to interfere with us, and told me to take care of you. Do you know what he means?"

Nausicaä shook her head. Her heart felt like it was shattering into a million pieces. Asbel was leaving? He was leaving? She wouldn't see him again. Never see his handsome face, never hear his kind voice, never enjoy his company, never… never…

"Why?" she asked, feeling as if she were in trance. "Why did he leave?"

Ved sighed. "He said that he was no longer needed. I'm not exactly sure what he meant though."

"I see." Lord Yupa replied calmly, though he was silently saying,  _'Oh, he's good. And it seems as if he's in on whatever Ken is planning, perhaps even behind it. This was why I told Asbel not to do anything until we had more information.'_

He didn't believe Ved's lies even for a moment. Even if he hadn't known about whatever the Kalvandirs were planning, he knew that Asbel would never just up and leave. Heck, he didn't think the Pejite prince ever would be able to bring himself to leave Nausicaä.

"How come you didn't tell me sooner?" Nausicaä cried, tears in her eyes.

Ved gave her his most sympathetic look. "I wanted to, Nausicaä. Truly I did. But before he told me of his plan, he made me swear not to tell anyone until at least tonight. I agreed, but after hearing that he was leaving, I couldn't bring myself to wait that long."

' _He's very good.'_  Lord Yupa thought.

"Nausicaä, are you alright?" the Kalvandir prince asked in concern."

Nausicaä was struggling not to cry, though tears were still running down her cheeks. "I… I…"

Without warning, she spun around and ranoff , ignoring Ved's cries. Lord Yupa watched her go, feeling terrible about this. He knew that Asbel might do something careless. He should have waited before telling Asbel.

"Will she be ok?" asked Ved.

Lord Yupa had to struggle to control his anger. He didn't know what Ved had done with his apprentice, but he hoped the Pejite prince was alright. "She will be fine. I'll speak to her."

He turned and walked in the direction Nausicaä had run off in. He didn't even need to look at Ved to know that the Kalvandir prince was smiling.

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Nausicaä wiped away the tears that had managed to escape as she laid on her bed, hugging her pillow. She couldn't believe it, Asbel was gone. She had been hoping and hoping that he would stay. The thought of no longer being able to see him was unbearable.

Teto went up to her and nuzzled her leg, squeaking in concern. Nausicaä gave him a sad smile and picked him up. "I guess I shouldn't be that surprised." She told him. "I knew that there was a chance that he might leave." She wiped away some tears. "I just didn't think it would hurt this much." She looked out the window, placing her hand on the glass. "He didn't even say goodbye. I don't know when I'll see him again or if I ever will."

A knock came at the door, but Nausicaä didn't even notice it. The door opened, regardless of the lack of invite, and Lord Yupa stepped in.

"Nausicaä."

The princess spun around, rubbing her eyes, though they were still red and puffy. "Oh, Lord Yupa. Sorry, I'm just…"

"Upset about Asbel's leaving." The sword master said, even though that hadn't been what Nausicaä had planned to say. He sighed and sat down in a nearby chair. "I can understand that you're upset. I would be too… if it were true."

It took Nausicaä a moment to realize what he said, and when she did she gave him a curious look. "If it were… what do you mean?"

Lord Yupa sighed again and crossed his arms. "I've been with Asbel for two years, and you know him very well too. Does this seem like something Asbel would do?"

Nausicaä thought about it for a moment, and realized that this was indeed very unlike Asbel. "But, Ved said that he-"

"You are forgetting one very important thing." Interrupted Lord Yupa. "You  _know_  Asbel. You know him very well. But how well do you know Ved?"

Nausicaä's eyes widened. "What? Are you saying that Ved lied?"

"I am saying that I would believe that Ved is lying before I believe Asbel would just leave."

Nausicaä was silent for a moment, trying to comprehend all this. "But why would he lie?"

Lord Yupa closed his eyes and nodded. "Yes, that is the question."

Nausicaä stared at him for a moment before her eyes narrowed in determination. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this."

Lord Yupa held up a hand to stop her. "Don't be reckless. I'm sure that is why Asbel's missing."

"What?"

Looking weary, the sword master rubbed his brow. "I told him to wait, but he wouldn't listen. So now I'm going to tell you what I've discovered, so listen closely."

For the next half hour, he explained everything that had occurred. From tracking down the Kalvandir spies to listening in on Ken's plan. Nausicaä listened very carefully, her eyes getting wider as the story progressed. A mixture of worry and anger began to stir up within her when she thought of the possibilities that could come out of this.

"He should have waited for me." Lord Yupa finished. "It seems as if he's been caught, so now they're making up a story about how he decided to leave to 'find his own path in life', as Ved put it." He crossed his arms. "Originally, I had thought that Ved was a pawn in this plan, but if he's supporting this story, then he's a part of it."

Nausicaä's fists clenched. "We have to find Asbel, before… before…" Her eyes widened fearfully. "Oh… what if he's… he's…"

"Calm yourself, Nausicaä." Lord Yupa told her. "Do not assume the worst. I will investigate the situation and-"

"I'm coming too!"

Lord Yupa closed his eyes. He had been afraid of this. "Nausicaä…"

Nausicaä wouldn't hear it. "As princess of the Valley of the Wind, I order you to allow me to accompany you on this assignment."

Lord Yupa's eyes widened. Nausicaä had actually pulled rank on him and given a direct order. He couldn't remember the last time she had done that. Heck,  _had_  she ever done that.

"Nausicaä, I just don't want you to get hurt."

Nausicaä stomped her foot, almost as if the sound would silence the sword master. "This is not up for discussion." She said in a calm cool voice, full of authority.

The two stared at each other, Lord Yupa's gaze filled with concern while Nausicaä's was filled with determination. Finally the sword master sighed.

"I can see that there's no talking you out of this." His eyes shifted to the door. Someone was coming. This conversation would have to be postponed. "But we'll finish this later."

He walked to the door and opened it, revealing Ved on the other side. The Kalvandir prince bowed to him, keeping up his perfect act. "Lord Yupa, I was hoping to speak with Nausicaä, if that's alright."

Lord Yupa simply walked past the Kalvandir prince. "Do as you wish."

Ved raise an eyebrow at the sword master's behavior. Nausicaä quickly spoke up, noticing Ved's suspicions. "He's very upset about Asbel's sudden departure."

Understanding crossed over Ved's face and he nodded. "I understand. That was actually why I came to see you. You seemed very upset over the unfortunate news."

Nausicaä sat down, knowing that she had to keep up the act of being the worried princess. "It was quite a shock. I care for Asbel very much. I don't know what I'll do without him." Though she was still pretending that she didn't know anything that Lord Yupa had told her, the words she spoke were very true indeed, and it surprised her when she realized this. "I just don't understand why he would just leave."

Ved rested a hand on top of hers, and she had to struggle not to pull away as he spoke to her. "He needs to find his own path. It's not up to us to tell him what to do with his life."

Sighing, Nausicaä nodded. "I know, I just wish he would have stayed. I would do anything to have him back."

This time she did pull her hand away. Ved's eyes narrowed slightly and the hand that had been on top of hers closed into a fist. "You speak of him so fondly. I understand that you are really good friends, but just how close are you?"

Nausicaä gave him a serious look. "He's the most important person to me." She said without hesitation,

Ved stared at her for a moment before sighing, a look of surrender entering his eyes. "You love him, don't you?"

Nausicaä looked surprised. She hadn't been expecting the question at all, and her face turned red. "I… I…"

"You don't have to explain." Ved told her. "I knew all along who your heart truly belonged to, but I had hoped…" He trailed off and shook his head. Turning back to Nausicaä, her gave her a sad smile. "I guess there's no helping it. Just remember, Nausicaä, I'll always be here for you." He got up and went to the door. "Good bye, Nausicaä."

The door closed and Nausicaä was left alone. Now the question was, what was she going to do? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Yes, what is she going to do? What's going to happen to Asbel? And has Ved really given up on Nausicaä. All your questions shall be answered in time. Now then, how about some reviews?)


	13. Deceiving the Deceivers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Reviews, reviews, I love reviews! Thank you everyone. This next chapter wasn't as long as I wanted it to be, but I felt like it filled the gap I was trying to fill. Hope you like it.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 13: Deceiving the Deceivers**

Nausicaä marched towards the Kalvandir ship, Teto resting on her shoulder. She was going to find and rescue Asbel if it was the last thing she did. And if those Kalvandirs did anything to hurt him…

' _I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.'_  she thought.

Right now she had to do the job of distracting the guards. It had been Lord Yupa's idea. She would go to the Kalvandir ship and do her best to keep everyone busy while he searched for Asbel. She had the utmost faith in the sword master, she just feared that it was too late. The thought of discovering that Asbel was dead made her almost afraid to actually find him.

"He's not dead." She said out loud. She looked at the fox-squirrel on her shoulder. "He's not."

Teto squeaked in response, almost as if he were agreeing with her. Nodding, Nausicaä made her presence known to the Kalvandirs and the monitor came on

" _Ah, Princess, good day to you."_  said the guard.

Nausicaä nodded in greeting. "I was hoping to see Prince Ved."

The guard nodded.  _"But of course. I shall inform him of your presence."_

The monitor turned off. Nausicaä waited for a few moments before the door opened, allowing her entry. A few guards were waiting for her on the other side. They bowed to her as she approached.

"His majesty is glad you have come." Said one of the guards. "Please follow me."

As Nausicaä expected. She was brought up to Ved's room. The Kalvandir prince looked happy to see her, and she suspected that he thought that maybe she had changed her mind about who her heart belonged to. If so, he was in for a rude awakening.

"Nausicaä, how good of you to come." He said warmly. "What brings you to my humble abode?"

She offered him a smile. "I was hoping that perhaps you would be able to help me find Asbel."

The Kalvandir prince's smile visibly lessoned. "I am sorry, princess, but I don't see how I could be of any help."

Nausicaä motioned around her. "You have all this technology. Shouldn't you be able to track him or something?"

"Technology has its limits." Ved explained. "I don't see how I can find him if he's gone off into the toxic forest." He cocked his head to the side. "And even if I could, I don't think he wants to be found, at least not until he finds whatever it is he's looking for."

Nausicaä's fists clenched. Ved was very crafty. His words would sound reasonable if she didn't know the truth.

Hanging her head, she tried to look upset. "I guess you're right." It was time to for plan B. "But that was only one of the reasons I came. I also wanted to compare what we know of the toxic jungle. Perhaps we can find some answers to our questions."

This seemed to brighten Ved's mood. "It would be an honor. Please, come with me. I shall show you to our lab."

Teto hissed at the Kalvandir prince and Nausicaä shushed him. Ved didn't seem to notice as he led her down the seemingly never-ending hall of his airship.

"How do you remember where ever room is?" she asked.

Ved chuckled. "You eventually memorize it. Just like you learned your way through the toxic jungle."

Nausicaä nodded. "I suppose that's true. Still, this is a big place."

"I've noticed." Ved joked. "Here we are. "I'm afraid Teto will have to wait outside."

Nausicaä frowned. "Why?"

"This area of the lab is still filled with toxic spores." Ved explained. "So we'll have to wear our masks, and I don't have anything for your little friend. He can stay with one of my guards."

Nausicaä looked hesitant about this. As far as she was concerned, these people were her unofficial enemies. Would she risk leaving Teto with one of them?

"But Teto doesn't really like people he's not familiar with."

Ved gave her a smile. "Not to worry, he shall be treated as one of my own royal pets."

Nausicaä didn't know how to turn him down without looking suspicious. Carefully, she took the fox-squirrel off her shoulder and spoke to him. "Teto, now you be a good boy, ok? I'll be back for you soon."

Teto squeaked and licked her nose. Nausicaä chuckled and handed him to the guard that came to take him. Teto growled lightly at being handled by someone he didn't know, but behaved himself al the same.

"Excellent." Said Ved, clapping his hands together. "Now, shall we begin?"

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Even in the metal maze of the Kalvandir ship, Lord Yupa had managed to pick up Asbel's trail. Years of training had allowed him to be able to track anything that wasn't capable of flight.

He was currently in the very same air duct that Asbel had been in not too long ago. He wondered how far his apprentice had gone before he had been caught.

He came to the turn Asbel had made that led him to the room holding the giant insect. The fan was once again up and running. It didn't take Lord Yupa long to figure out how Asbel had gotten into the other room, and he realized that this was how he had been caught.

"Oh, Asbel." The sword master sighed. "You should have known that they would be able to hear a knife being jammed into a fan."

Not willing to make the same mistake his apprentice made, he doubled back. Though he had not heard the sounds of the insect in the other room, he knew that something in there had made Asbel investigate. Now he needed to find a way in.

As he made his way through the air ducts, he heard a familiar noise. It was not the insect he had unknowingly passed, but it was still a familiar sound.

He looked through the ventilation shaft and saw what his ears told him. Two guards were standing outside, one of the holding a leash that was holding a very angry Teto.

"Quiet you little rat!"

Teto just hissed loudly and pulled some more on his leash. The second guard snickered at the first guard's irritation.

"He's got you babysitting the Guide's pet?"

"Shut up." the first guard snapped. "It's not funny. Why do I have to watch this little nuisance?"

Lord Yupa smirked. Perhaps little Teto could be useful. He just needed to free the little guy. That shouldn't be too hard. The guards would be out before they even knew what hit them.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"Clean soil and water are really all it takes?" asked Ved, his voice slightly muffled by his mask.

Nausicaä nodded. "That's all it takes. I told you, it's not the plants that are contaminated, just the soil. The plants absorb the toxins and become poisonous themselves."

"Extraordinary." Ved said. "I still can't believe that it was as simple as that."

Nausicaä smiled. Regardless of the fact that she was just distracting Ved, she was still somewhat enjoying herself. But since Asbel was in trouble, she didn't feel the same type of joy she normally experienced when she was working.

"Sometimes the hardest of problems have the simplest of solutions."

"A very wise statement."

Nausicaä smiled. "Lord Yupa taught me that."

That made her think about the sword master. He was somewhere in the Kalvandir ship by now. She hoped he was close to finding Asbel.

A loud voice suddenly filled the room as someone spoke over the intercom.  _"Your majesty, we have a problem."_

Ved frowned and went over to the wall to push a button. "What's the problem?"

" _Two of the guards have been found unconscious. One of them was the one you assigned to watch the Gui- I mean, the princess' pet."_

"Teto!" Nausicaä cried.

She ran to the door, already heading down the hall. Ved swore and went after her. The last thing he needed was the princess coming across something he didn't want her to see.

"Teto!" Nausicaä called, running down the hall. "Teto, where are you?"

She heard Ved call after her, but she ignored him. She didn't want to lose anyone else.

Making a turn down the hall, she saw, much to her relief, the little fox-squirrel running towards her, having heard her call.

"Oh, Teto, thank goodness." She said picking up her beloved pet. "I thought I told you to behave. Don't go running off like-"

Teto bit her sleeve and pulled. Nausicaä frowned, wondering what was wrong. When she put him down again, the fox-squirrel took off in the direction he had come from, stopping briefly when he realized that Nausicaä wasn't following her.

Nausicaä's eyes suddenly widened. "Did you find Asbel?" she whispered.

"Nausicaä!"

Ved was catching up. Nausicaä ignored him and followed Teto. The fox-squirrel led her to the end of the hall and began scratching at a door. Nausicaä noticed right away that a code was needed to get inside.

"Is he in there?" she asked her pet.

Teto squeaked, almost as if he were replying. Nausicaä picked him up, but before she could do anything else, Ved caught up to her.

"Nausicaä, I told you that shouldn't wander around on your own. It can be very easy to get lost if you don't know your way arou-"

"What's in here?" she interrupted.

Ved looked taken aback. "Excuse me?"

"Teto was trying to get in here. Why? What's in here?"

Ved just waved it off. "Oh, nothing important. Merely storage. Let's go back to the lab."

Nausicaä narrowed her eyes. "Can I see?"

Ved frowned. "Why?"

"Because I want to. If it's just storage, then there should be no problem."

Ved's fists clenched. "I really don't think that it's a good idea." He told her in a serious voice.

Nausicaä didn't back down. "I would like to see."

The two stared at each other for a few moments. Ved noticed the hostility in her eyes and came to a decision.

"Very well." He said quietly.

He entered the code on the door and it unlocked. He stood aside to let her pass, and, with only thoughts of saving Asbel on her mind, she entered the room. Strong hands seized her the moment she walked inside.

"Hey, what's this?" she cried.

She received no answer as another pair of hands grabbed her. She struggled and protested, but whoever grabbed her was much stronger.

"Let me go!"

"It will be better if you don't struggle." Said Ved calmly, walking in the room. "I did warn you that you wouldn't want to enter here, but you were so persistent."

"Tell them to let me go!" Nausicaä demanded as she continued fighting against the two guards.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. I had to make decisions that I would normally not make."

"Just because I wanted to see what Teto was curious about in here?"

Ved sighed. "I had a feeling that it was going to come to this eventually. Ever since I realized how you felt about that Pejite outcast. And when I saw that look in your eyes just now, I knew that whether you entered this room or not, I would have to use force."

"Asbel is  _not_  an outcast!" Nausicaä shouted at him. "And I know that it was you who was responsible for his disappearance. Now where is he?"

Ved sighed again. "I really didn't want to come to this." he said, ignoring her question. "It would have been so much easier if you would have just cooperated. Now I'm going to have to do something that I'll regret."

He motioned for the guards to follow him as he headed further into the room. Nausicaä felt a chill run up her spin as the guards dragged her along. What was going to happen to her now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Uh oh, Nausicaä's in trouble now. What's Ved going to do to her? He still needs her to keep up his deception of being the prophesized one. So what's going to happen? And what about Asbel? Will they be ok? Don't forget, Lord Yupa is still 'on the loose'. Will he save them, or will Ved go through with his plan? Things get serious in the next chapter, and the mystery of the strange insects and Ved's plan are revealed, so you don't want to miss it.)


	14. Answers to the Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Finally, after being left in the dark about the Kalvandirs' intentions, everything will be revealed. What is Ved's plan? What is the purpose of the strange insect? Everything will be revealed. Well, not everything, but some stuff. Read on and find out.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 14: Answers to the Questions**

Asbel looked up as he heard footsteps approach. He scowled and tuned away, not wanting to even talk to anyone, let alone see his captors' faces.

"Well," he heard Ved say, though it didn't seem like he was talking to him, "you wanted to know what was in here, now you know."

He heard the door open and someone was thrown in. A woman grunted in pain from being handled roughly and Asbel turned to see who his new cellmate was. His eyes widened when he saw Nausicaä herself sitting up, looking slightly dazed.

"Nausicaä?!" Asbel cried.

The princess looked up. She appeared speechless for a moment before her eyes began to water with tears of joy.

"Asbel!" she cried, throwing herself at the startled Pejite prince.

"N-Nausicaä, what?"

"I was so worried about you! Don't you dare scare me like that again! I thought something terrible happened to you!"

Asbel held her tightly. "I'm sorry, Nausicaä. I let you down." He glared at Ved. "When I found out that you were being used, I tried to stop it. Guess I didn't do such a good job."

"You should have stayed out of it." Ved told him. "All this could have been avoided."

Nausicaä gave him a look of disgust. "Why are you doing this? What did we ever do to you?"

Ved crossed his arms. "Well, Asbel is here because he was snooping around and came across something he shouldn't have seen. And you, princess, you're here because you're the Guide."

Nausicaä narrowed her eyes. "And what does me being the Guide have to do with locking me up?"

Ved leaned against the wall, looking fairly relaxed. "You were unwilling to cooperate. I tried to be a good guy and win your heart, but it seems as if that's not going to happen."

"Tricking me into thinking that I love you." Nausicaä spat. "You make me sick. Why would you want to do that?"

Ved slammed his fist against the wall. "Because I'm the one best suited to lead society."

"So that's what this is about." Asbel growled. "Power. It's always about power."

"I have societies bets interest at heart." Ved insisted.

Asbel snorted. "Yeah, I'm sure you do."

"I can create a utopia out of this world. Once I get the world to realize my potential as a ruler and they accept that I know what's best for them, then I can show them the way into the light."

"Is that really what you convinced yourself of? You just want everyone to obey you."

Ved's fists clenched. "I know what's best. We Kalvandirs are always looking to the future and trying to make the world a better place. It's for the greater good."

Nausicaä grabbed the bars, getting as close to Ved as possible so he could see the anger in her eyes. "And how is throwing two innocent people in prison for the greater good? How is trying to trick me into loving you for the greater good?"

"The ends justify the means." Ved told her. "It's well known that there is no love without trust, so I knew that my deception would only work for so long before you realized that you didn't really love me. But that wouldn't have mattered. According to the prophecy, the Guide's true love will be the one to lead society out of the darkness. I only briefly needed everyone to think that you loved me to win their trust. After that, a simple 'accident' in the toxic forest would remove the risk of anyone seeing through my trick."

Nausicaä's eyes widened." You were going to… dispose of me."

Ved sighed. "I know it sounds cruel, but like I said, it's for the good of society. Though I would have preferred that you really did fall for me and I truly was the one in the legend. We could have been happy together."

"Never!" Nausicaä shouted. "You're sick! You're nothing but a twisted, power hungry, miserable excuse for a human being."

Ved looked stung by her words. "You mistake me, Nausicaä. I don't take pleasures in other's pain. I didn't like deceiving you, nor would I have enjoyed getting rid of you. But I will do what must be done. I'm not the kind of person that enjoys doing cruel things."

"No, you just don't care if you do." Asbel snapped. "You may not want to hurt others, but you'll still do it if it works in your favor. Just like what you're doing to us and what you did to that Ohmu."

That caught Nausicaä's attention. "Ohmu? What Ohmu?"

Asbel frowned, realizing that Nausicaä didn't know about the large insect Ved was keeping. "Well, I'm not sure if it's an Ohmu, but it looks like one." He pointed accusingly at Ved. "He's holding an insect of some sort here."

Ved smirked. "You mean my pet science project."

Nausicaä's eyes widened. "Pet science pro… what are you doing?" A look of understanding crossed her face. "That's why the ship is so big, to hold that insect. I can't believe I bought that ridiculous 'bigger is better' nonsense."

"That's actually true." Ved told her. "Bigger is better, or so we believe. But yes, this ship was built for that Ohmu." He smirked. "Care to see it?"

"What?"

Ved snapped his fingers and the guards opened the door and seized the two prisoners. "I wouldn't want you to miss my ultimate weapon."

' _Weapon?'_  thought Nausicaä.  _'Is he talking about the Ohmu?'_

Asbel struggled until one of the guards buried his fist in his gut.

"Asbel!" Nausicaä cried.

"If you don't listen, you'll have to be punished." Ved told them. "Now, come with me."

Nausicaä supported the groaning Asbel as they followed Ved, the two guards following close behind. Ved glanced over his shoulder at his 'guests'. "I hope you're not too surprised by what you see, Nausicaä. I know how you love the insects so very much. You may be a little… disgusted by what you see."

' _What I see? What will I see?'_

For the second time, Asbel entered the room with the strange insect. Nausicaä, on the other and, was seeing it for the first time and her mouth dropped open in shock.

"How do you like it?" Ved asked, looking proud of himself.

"What is it?" Nausicaä asked. "I've never seen an insect like this. Why is it imprisoned? What are you doing with it?"

Ved raised his arms. "This creature is my people's greatest success."

"Greatest success?" Asbel repeated. "What are you talking about?"

Ved closed his eyes and smiled. "Whether you believe it or not, this splendid insect was once an Ohmu."

Nausicaä looked horrified. "What?"

"It's true. I received it when it was just a baby, a mere grub. I guess you can say that as it grew, my people found ways to manipulate its genetic sequence. Every time it shed its shell, it became more suited to my purpose."

"That's cruel!" Nausicaä cried. She looked at the insect that had once been an Ohmu with great pity. She hoped that whatever Ved had done t it hadn't hurt the poor creature. "Did… did it suffer?"

Ved sighed. "Regrettably, it did. Very much. Having your genetic sequence manipulated is a very unpleasant experience."

"Monster! Why would you do this?"

Again, Ved sighed. "For years, we have been trying to find a way to control the Ohmu. Every time we try to destroy the toxic jungle, those despicable insects stop us."

"That's because they know it's wrong." Asbel interrupted.

Ved ignored him. "We always thought that if we were capable of controlling the Ohmu that we would be able to destroy the toxic jungle."

"So it's just another plot to destroy the toxic jungle." Nausicaä muttered. "At least that's how it started. Then you decided that you wanted to rule over everything."

Ved glared at her. "Humanity made the mistake of destroying the earth once. I will make sure that it doesn't happen again."

"Humanity didn't destroy the earth." Asbel exclaimed. "The Giant Warriors did."

Ved grinned, looking triumphant. "And where did the Giant Warriors come from, I wonder? You know, don't you Asbel. Your ancestors should know." He smirked at the horrified look on Asbel's face. "Yes, Asbel. I too have heard the rumors."

"That's all they are!" Nausicaä cried. "Just rumors! Nothing but rumors!"

Ved crossed his arms. "Rumors are based on fact." He looked back at the insect. "And the fact of the matter is that with this Ohmu I shall control the others."

Control the others? Now Nausicaä and Asbel were really confused. How would mutating one Ohmu and keeping it prisoner control the others?

"I see that you're confused." The Kalvandir prince pointed at the mutant Ohmu. "Look at its head. Do you see that?"

Nausicaä and Asbel squinted, looking at what he was pointing at. Just in between the insect's antennas was what looked like a satellite of some sort. Asbel hadn't noticed it the last time he had been in here, and he had a feeling the strange device was nothing good.

"What is that?" he asked.

Ved snickered. "Didn't you know that sound waves and electrical currents can affect the insects' behavior? That device feeds sequences of sound and electricity to the Ohmu. The right pattern can get it to do whatever I want."

"So you're basically brainwashing it."

Ved seemed to think about it for a minute before shrugging. "Brainwashing isn't exactly the correct word for it, but it's close enough."

Nausicaä tried to figure this out. "So what, you're going to use those on all the Ohmu?"

Ved raised an eyebrow. "Don't be ridiculous. Do you know how long it took to create just one? Creating one for every Ohmu is impossible. No, this single Ohmu will control the others. And before you ask how, because I know you're going to, I'll tell you. It's those antenna. They send out signals to other Ohmu. Signals similar to the ones this one receives."

"So control him and you control the others." Nausicaä seethed. Suddenly things began to make sense. "Then that last Ohmu that attacked my valley, for no apparent reason, was because of you." No wonder the Ohmu had so many fixed emotions and confused thoughts, because it was being controlled.

Ved nodded. "You're catching on. You see, your people were having doubts that I was the prophesized one."

"Because you're not!" Nausicaä and Asbel said together.

Ved ignored them. "So I put on a little show for you all. You see, controlling the Ohmu serves two purposes. Not only does it give me the power to do as I wish without worrying about the insects stopping me, it also makes everyone believe that I am the prophesized one. It's killing two birds with one stone. And winning n Nausicaä's affection was the final piece of the puzzle." He looked at the other two, noticing their scowling faces. "I can see that you don't approve of my ingenious plan."

"Who would?" Nausicaä cried. "You're talking about getting humanity to obey you with a lie and controlling the insects by your sick experiments."

Ved nodded, not even denying it. "Yes, and no one will dare to try and stop me, for I have all the insects at my command. And with me in command, I will bring this world into the light."

Nausicaä looked desperately at the two guards. "How can you let him do this?"

"He is our prince." Said the first guard.

"We are at his command." agreed the second.

"As are all my people." Ved added. "Whether they approve or not, they remain loyal. To me." He sighed. "Unfortunately, you two are obviously not willing to go along with my plans. So that means I'll have to keep you from letting everyone else know the truth. I can't just keep you here and risk someone discovering you. So that leaves me with no choice."

"What are you going to do?" asked Asbel, fearful for, not his own life, but for Nausicaä's.

Ved seemed to think about it for a moment, but then a smile crossed over his face. "Since you two seem to enjoy the toxic jungle so much, I think I'll take you there."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: And so, the Kalvandirs' intentions are brought to light. I believe that we can safely say that Ved is slightly mad. But here is the interesting thing, though he may be doing bad things, he believes that he is doing it for the greater good. Yes, he is being very greedy and power hungry, but can you technically classify him as a bad guy since he thinks he's doing the right thing? Nausicaä and Asbel certainly don't think so. You'll see more of the type of person Ved really is in later chapters. Right now, Nausicaä and Asbel are in danger. He's taking them to the toxic jungle, and you can probably guess what for. Now, before I end this, I left an important factor in an earlier chapter that most likely went by unnoticed by everyone. It may or may not save Nausicaä and Asbel in the toxic jungle. Can you find it?)


	15. The Fall of a Prince

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Sorry this took so long. I've been very busy lately I hope this chapter makes up for my lack of updating.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 15: The Fall of a Prince**

The miniature ship ride would have been relaxing if it hadn't been heading for the toxic jungle. Nausicaä and Asbel knew that this would be their last trip here if Ved was really going to abandon them. They would only last a few minutes before the toxic spores killed them. They didn't bother struggling, they knew it was useless. They were surrounded by nine guards, each of them armed.

"This will be good." Ved said, and the ship came to a stop. The Kalvandir prince turned to his two prisoners and gave them a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry that it had to come to this, really I am."

Nausicaä glared at him. "Save it. You're not sorry, so stop pretending that you are."

Ved shook his head. "You're mistaking, dearest Nausicaä. I will have trouble sleeping tonight having to do this."

Asbel snorted. "Well we would hate for you to have our deaths on your conscience. Murderer."

Ved sighed. "I'm not a murderer. I wouldn't just flat out kill you. I am going to give you a chance to survive."

Nausicaä and Asbel gave him a questioning look. Ved snapped his fingers and one of the guards stepped forward holding gasmasks. However, these were just regular masks with a limited supply of air rather than the ones that filtered out the toxic spores.

"These should give you about two hours of air, and I pray that you'll be able to find a way to save yourself by then."

Asbel gave him the dirtiest look he could muster. "You call that giving us a chance to survive? It will take at least a day to get out of the toxic jungle. You're just mocking us and giving us a false chance of hope."

Ved shrugged. "Look at it however you want, but it will make me feel much better knowing that I didn't just come right out and kill you."

"It's the same thing." Nausicaä seethed. "You might as well just let us stay on board for two hours and then shoot us."

"How crude." Ved commented. "I couldn't bare to see the look of death on your beautiful face." He nodded to the guards. They handed Nausicaä and Asbel the masks as they put on their own. "Best of luck."

Nausicaä and Asbel were forced out of the ship and had to watch as the Kalvandirs took off without them.

"Sire, wouldn't it have been better to simply kill them right now?" one of the guards asked.

Ved crossed his arms. "Perhaps, but I don't want innocent blood on my hands. And besides, it's not like they can escape."

As the ship faded in the distance, Nausicaä and Asbel had already begun moving. This was unknown territory for them, for neither had been in this area of the toxic jungle.

"I hope there's one of those underground caves near here." said Asbel.

"I'm sure there are." Nausicaä replied. "They circle all over the planet. The question is if we'll be able to find an entrance before our oxygen runs out. There's no way we'll be able to dig down to one in time."

"Then we'll have to refill our tanks and hope to make it to the next one before our supplies runs out." Asbel finished. He sighed. "Do you think we can make it all the out of the jungle?"

Nausicaä wanted to say that they would make it, but truth be told, she was really having doubts.

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For doing something that Ved claimed was very hard for him to do, he certainly was in a good mood. Everything may not have gone according to plan, but things were going his way now.

"Are they gathering?" he asked.

Ken nodded. "Yes, sire. I believe they're all here."

A wicked smile crept up Ved's face. "Excellent. I guess I better give them the 'bad' news."

Again the short man nodded. "If you say so, sire." He looked worried. "But if they find out the truth-"

"Please." Ved interrupted. "My plan is flawless. I doubt Nausicaä and Asbel's bodies will ever be found. They might even be eaten by an insect." He snickered. "At least they'll have their last few moments alone together. Being at the last few moments of their lives will probably get them to confess their feelings to each other. That will be the happiest moment of their lives. So you see, I'm not such a bad guy."

"I never claimed you to be a bad person, sire. I'm just worried someone might find out the truth."

Ved cut his eyes at him. "And how would that happen?" he asked coldly. "Only my people are aware of what truly happened. Are you saying that they may betray me?"

"No, of course not, your maj-"

"Perhaps you're thinking of betraying me."

Ken looked fearful. "Sire, I would never!"

Ved smirked. "Then there is no problem."

His tone indicated that the conversation was over and he exited the room. It was now time to tell the people of the Valley of the Wind what had become of their beloved princess. He had called an urgent meeting regarding Nausicaä that everyone, both Kalvandir and Valley of the Wind citizens, must attend. Soon they would all bow down to him.

He stepped out of his airship and looked at all the people before him, the Kalvandirs on one side the people of the Valley of the Wind on the other. Ved had to hide his smirk as he put on his most depressing expression and began his well practice speech.

"Friends, I have called you here today, because a terrible event has occurred." He sighed sadly and lowered his head. "This is a very sad time, and I regret to inform you that… that… both Princess Nausicaä and Prince Asbel… are dead."

He paused, letting the information settle in. He waited for the reaction and it came moments later. First came the collapsing part, where several people lost the feeling in their legs from the shock. Then came the gasps and disbelief shaking of the head, followed by the tears and the screaming in pain for their loss. Then, of course, came the two questions he knew would come. "Why?" and "How?"

Ved took a deep breath. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but it is the truth. It happened when Nausicaä and I went in search of Asbel. We followed his trail deep into the toxic jungle. When we found him, he was being attacked by the insects. Such a rage they were in that not even Nausicaä or I could stop them. Asbel fell before we could stop them. Then they turned on us. I did everything I could, but Nausicaä was wounded badly. In that instant, the insects seemed to realize who she was and their rage subsided, but it was too late." He pretended to wipe away tears. "In her last few moments, she begged me to save the earth, to fulfill the prophecy, and lead society out of the darkness." He looked at his hands. "I held her as she breathed her last breath. She… died in my arms. And as her heart stopped beating, the insects, they turned to me, and they acknowledged me as the one in the legend. And looking into Nausicaä's beautiful lifeless face, I knew what I had to do." He bowed his head to hide his face. "Then the insects took her body from me. They took her and Asbel and held them in the air, carrying them deep into the toxic jungle. That was the last I saw of them. Though I now know who I truly am, I still grieve greatly for the loss of my good friend Asbel and my beloved Nausicaä. And I will do what ever I must to see that their dream is realized. So, my friends, let us bow our heads and have a moment of silence for our beloved Nausicaä and Asbel."

Everyone fell silent to give their respects. The only sound was the silent weeping of the people and the howl of the wind.

But the silence was interrupted by the sound of clapping. Everyone looked up to see who the rude inconsiderate person was that dared to disrupt this moment of silence was. Several mouths dropped open as they spotted Lord Yupa calmly walking closer to Ved, his hands coming together again and again.

"Lord Yupa?" someone in the crowd said, shocked by the sword master's disrespect.

"Very good, your highness," said Lord Yupa calmly, "very good. You certainly put a lot of time and effort to pull through with this plan."

Ved's eyes narrowed as he gave Lord Yupa an angry look. "What are you talking about? How dare you interrupted this moment of silence."

"Oh stop it!" Lord Yupa shouted, his raised voice actually rendering the Kalvandir prince silent. He pointed an accusing finger at him. "I know all about it! I know of your plan. You planned to fool us all into thinking that you were the prophesized one so you could get the world to follow you."

There were shocked gasps all around. Ved's expression was that of a dear caught in the headlights, but he got over his shock and became outraged. "How dare you! Lord Yupa, how could you say such-"

"Drop the act!" Lord Yupa interrupted. "I know what you've done. When I became aware of your plan, I alerted Asbel. He went to investigate on his own without me and got caught. I told Nausicaä what I knew and she went in search of Asbel, only to be caught as well." His angry gaze burned into Ved's glaring eyes. "I was on the ship. I heard everything. I know about your little science experiment. And I know what you did to Nausicaä and Asbel. You took them to the toxic jungle and abandoned them there!"

There were more shocked gasps from the people. The Kalvandirs began backing away from the people of the Valley of the Wind, who were becoming very angry.

Ved crossed his arms and glared at Lord Yupa. "You have no proof of any of this. And I can't believe you would use such lies. I know you, Lord Yupa. You're destiny has been to solve the secrets of the prophecy. Do you feel like your purpose in life will end once the legend has come to pass? Do you fear losing your purpose so much that you'll make such an accusation? How could you speak such lies?"

"Lies you say?" It was not Lord Yupa that spoke, but Obaba, who moved forward to join the sword master. "If these are indeed lies, we will know." Her blind eyes glared at Ved, or where she assumed he was. "For many years, I have been praying for the legend to come to pass. Whether it was you or not, I was ready to accept it. But now we are faced with two stories. One from a very possible candidate for the one in the prophecy, and the famous sword master Lord Yupa. Such a decision can be hard to decide, especially with the proof you have given us." She smiled. "But you are forgetting one very important thing. We of the Valley of the Wind  _know_  Lord Yupa. We know he is an honorable and trustworthy man who thinks of others before himself." She pointed an accusing finger at Ved. "But we do not know you! And I will believe Lord Yupa if he were to tell me that I shall regain my sight before I believe you over him!"

"Yeah, that's right!" someone cried.

"We know Lord Yupa, we trust him!"

"It's you who are the strangers! You're the ones we can't trust!"

Ved was glaring at the people before him with utmost hatred. He knew now that the plan was a failure. Lord Yupa had ruined it. Everything was for naught now. He would never be accepted as the prophesized one.

You… you…"

Words failed him. And when the people began moving towards him, he called for his guards. They moved to defend their prince, their guns stopping the people in their tracks. But the Kalvandirs were greatly outnumbered. If the people attacked, they would no doubt win the fight.

"You've made a grave mistake, Lord Yupa." Ved seethed. "By accepting me, things would have been settled peacefully, but now you've forced my hand." His fists clenched together tightly. "You have no idea what I'm capable of, but you're about to find out. You've brought this upon yourselves."

He spun on his heels and retreated back into the ship. The Kalvandirs followed their prince back on board. Several of the people of the Valley of the Wind ran to their homes to get weapons to defend themselves should the Kalvandirs attack.

But there was no attack. Ved had ordered his people to take the ship into the toxic jungle. If the people of the Valley of the Wind were going to defy him, then he would remove them.

On the ground, Lord Yupa and Obaba remained in the same place they were in since the Kalvandir ship took off.

"Did I do the right thing, Obaba?" Lord Yupa asked. "I fear that the people of the Valley of the Wind will suffer Ved's wrath."

Obaba sighed. "The people know what they face. They stand for truth, justice, and peace. They will die for it if need be. You may have shown them the truth, but they made the decision for themselves." She could sense that Lord Yupa was still uneasy. "Have faith, Lord Yupa. Nausicaä and Asbel will return."

Lord Yupa's eyes settled on the toxic jungle. "I know." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Nausicaä and Asbel are on their own in the toxic jungle. They're only hope is to make it from oxygen cave to oxygen cave to refill their air supplies. But on a brighter note, Ved's plan is a failure. The people know he's a fake. But Ved isn't finished yet. He has a backup plan. Remember, he has a mutant Ohmu that can control the others in his power. And don't forget about that thing I mentioned that will be important later. Have you found it yet? If not, you'll see what it is next chapter. See you then. And your fee for this chapter is a review from each of you.)


	16. Countdown to Disaster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: 'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.' – The Shining. Ok, so my names not Jack, but the same rules apply. I've been working a lot this week, so sorry for the delay. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Hope you like it. And if you haven't found the important factor I mentioned, you're about to find out what it is. Well, at the end of the chapter you will.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 16: Countdown to Disaster**

"How you doing on oxygen?" Asbel asked.

Nausicaä looked at the amount her tank had left. She gulped nervously, seeing that she had less than half. "Enough not to worry." She said, not daring to tell him the truth.

Asbel gave her a look. "Nausicaä, how much?"

"There's plenty left!" she insisted. "Lets stop talking and keep moving."

Not much had been said between them. They wanted to conserve as much clean air as they had, and not waste it by talking. There only hope was to find an oxygen cavern before their supply ran out.

' _No!'_  Nausicaä thought.  _'It can't run out! We_ have _to make it! If we don't, everyone will be at Ved's mercy! He has to be stopped!'_

Even as she thought this, she was losing hope. Already breathing was becoming difficult. Could two hours really have gone by so fast? Things were looking pretty grim.

Asbel was having similar thoughts, but he was determined to get Nausicaä out of here. He was not going to let her die here. Nausicaä deserved to have a full life. She shouldn't be in these life-threatening situations. She should be happy and free, flying through the air, playing with the children, talking with the insects, exploring-

Then it came to Asbel. The insects. They could help. They  _had_  to help. Nausicaä was the Guide. She had a special connections with the insects. Of course they would help her.

"Nausicaä!"

She jumped, surprised by Asbel suddenly calling her name. "Huh? What?"

"The insects!"

"They won't hurt us."

Asbel shook his head impatiently. "No, no, I mean they can help us. Do you have your insect charm?"

Nausicaä nodded and reached for the small object. "Right here."

"Call them. They can help."

Nausicaä's eyes widened in understanding. She began swinging around the small charm. A howling noise emitted from the small object as it whirled through the air.

"Come to think of it," she said, "I haven't seen any insects since we were brought here."

Asbel just noticed this too. "You're right. Where are they?"

Nausicaä thought about it for a moment. "Perhaps they sense an imbalance with the earth."

' _Just like they did when the Tolmekians were waking up the Giant Warrior.'_  Asbel thought. "I just hope they'll come."

Nausicaä began spinning the insect charm faster. She wished that they had thought of this sooner. It seemed as if this would be their last chance.

The loud sound of tree branches and shrubs moving reached their hearing. Nausicaä and Asbel headed off in that direction, the former spinning the insect charm around faster than ever.

An Ohmu came crashing through the jungle, attracted to the whistling noise Nausicaä's insect charm made. To Asbel, it was just another Ohmu, but Nausicaä's eyes widen with recognition.

"Oh, it's you!" she cried.

Asbel gave her a strange look. "You know this Ohmu?"

Nausicaä nodded. "So do you."

"I do?"

He turned back to the Ohmu and was surprised to find its golden tentacles an inch away from his face. They gently caressed his forehead and he was once again  _touched._

The Ohmu was very glad to see them again. It was hoping that more humans would come with a better understanding like Asbel and Nausicaä. It was also curious as to why they were so far in the toxic jungle and why they seemed so anxious. Now it was becoming worried as it read Asbel's emotions. Fear and anger began settling in as the Ohmu sensed and felt everything that Asbel felt. There was danger. A man was causing a great imbalance. This man could ruin everything if he wasn't stopped. It was because of men like him that the insects were forced to stampede and be destructive. This man, Ved, he must be stopped.

The Ohmu's golden tentacles left Asbel, but the Pejite prince now recognized the Ohmu. This had been the one he had met when Asbel had brought him into the toxic jungle. The first Ohmu to have  _touched_  him.

"I remember you." he whispered.

The Ohmu didn't appear to have heard him. It's eyes were flickering from red to blue as it tried to control its rage and instinctual need to set things right.

"Ohmu, wait!" Nausicaä cried. She ran to the Ohmu and embraced it. "Ohmu, please, we need your help. We're going to die if you don't help us."

The Ohmu seemed to understand this as its eyes turned blue again. It reached out and  _touched_  her in the same way it had  _touched_  Asbel. The Pejite prince watched in fascination as Nausicaä bared her soul to the large insect, trusting it completely.

The Ohmu retracted its tentacles and turned around. Nausicaä immediately began climbing up its body.

"Nausicaä, what are you doing?" Asbel cried worriedly.

"It's ok." She offered him her hand. "He's going to help."

There was no time to hesitate. Asbel trusted Nausicaä, and if she trusted the Ohmu, then so did he. He couldn't not trust the Ohmu after having been  _touched_ by it anyway.

Taking Nausicaä's hand, he climbed up onto the Ohmu's back.

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"Sire, I did warn you." Ken told Ved.

The Kalvandir prince was in no mood. "Silence! I don't want to hear your voice."

Ken dared to continue speaking. "But what are we going to do now? Now that they know the truth-"

Ved whirled around. "I told you to shut up!" he snapped. He glared at the short balding man for a moment before speaking again. "We'll just have to go with the backup plan."

Ken's eyes widened. "But, sire, to kill them all?"

Ved nodded. "All of them. They're can't be any survivors. We may still be able to convince the rest of the world that I'm the prophesized one when they see how I can control the insects, but we must get rid of everyone in that valley."

Ken looked very uncomfortable, as did the guards. "Your highness, I must advise against this."

Ved smirked at him. "Killing Asbel and Nausicaä didn't seem to bother you."

Ken seemed to have trouble talking. "Y-Yes, but… you see… they…"

Roy stepped forward and spoke for Ken. "Sire, I believe that what he is trying to say is that killing one or two people for the greater good is one thing, but to wipe out an entire kingdom-"

"One life is the same as any other." Ved interrupted. "Kill one, or kill a hundred, it makes no difference to me as long as the end result is the same. I will bring a new order to this world, but all loose ends must be tied up."

Ken found his voice again. "Sire, I can't kill all those people."

Ved just smirked and turned away. "You don't have to. I will."

Ken and Roy watched as their beloved prince walked off, talking about wiping out an entire kingdom as if it was no big deal. It was now quite obvious to them that their prince was mad.

"This has gotten out of hand." Roy stated. He glanced down at Ken. "What are we going to do?"

The short bald man sighed. "He's still our prince. What can we do?"

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Nausicaä's breathing was becoming rapid. This was because she wasn't receiving enough oxygen when she took a breath. She was undoubtedly inhaling more carbon dioxide than oxygen. She was already feeling lightheaded and tired.

"Nausicaä, you alright?" Asbel asked.

She nodded. "It's just getting a little hard to breathe."

Asbel rested a hand on her shoulder. "Just hang on. I'm sure we're almost there."

He too was experiencing the same symptoms as Nausicaä. He was having doubts about whether they would make it or not, but he had to be strong for Nausicaä. She had to make it, regardless of what happened to him.

The Ohmu suddenly began slowing down until it stopped. Asbel looked down at it in confusion. "What's wrong? Are we there?"

He received no reply, not that he expected one. But there were no sand pits anywhere he could see. Wasn't the Ohmu supposed to bring them to one? Why did it stop here?

"Ohmu, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

The Ohmu moaned as its eyes began flashing red and its body trembled. It made a loud noise and a violent movement, throwing Asbel and Nausicaä off its back.

"Ohmu, what are you doing?" the Pejite prince cried. They didn't have time for games. He and Nausicaä were going to die unless they got to an oxygen cave, now.

The Ohmu ignored them and began heading off in a different direction, leaving the two humans behind. Asbel watched in disbelief as the insect abandoned them. Why was it leaving? Did it know that they wouldn't make it so it stopped trying? Did something more important come up? What  _could_  be more important than saving Nausicaä?

Then he saw it. Through and opening in the trees. Far off in the distance, in the direction the Ohmu was heading, was the Kalvandir airship. The trees beneath it moved as if something big, or lots of somethings big, were chasing it, and a swarm of insects flew through the air behind it. Asbel's eyes widened as he realized what was happening. Ved was using his mutant insect to call the others. Unable to resist the call, the Ohmu had left the two of them here as it followed the others towards the Kalvandir ship.

"Nausicaä, Ved's planning something." Asbel told her. "Something with that mutant Ohmu he's got. I have a bad feeling about this." He received no answer. "Nausicaä?"

Turning, he saw Nausicaä lying on the ground. Her chest was moving, as if she were trying to cough, and her face was turning blue.

"Nausicaä, no!" Asbel cried. He dropped to her side and looked at her oxygen supply. He didn't need to, it was obviously on E. "Nausicaä, why didn't you tell me?"

Without a second thought, he took a deep breath and switched the two tanks. His had very little left, but there was still some. He watched Nausicaä take a breath, but she remained unconscious.

' _At least that'll give her some time.'_  he thought.

He lifted Nausicaä up and gave her a piggyback. But what was he going to do now? Nausicaä was unconscious and on their last bit of oxygen, and he was holding his breath, carrying her. What else could he do?

' _If some miracle is supposed to kick in to save_ _Nausica_ _ä, now would be a good time.'_ he thought.

His lungs were burning. He was dying to take a breath, but he knew that if he did, he would only inhaul toxic fumes. Was this what it felt like to drown? Unable to take a breath less you die?

Asbel's legs gave out and he collapsed. He felt like he was going to pass out, but he couldn't inhaul.

' _Have to keep going.'_  He thought, lifting his head.  _'For_ _Nausica_ _ä, for everyone.'_

He felt dizzy. Every instinct was telling him to breathe, but common sense told him not to. He could either hold his breath until he lost consciousness, or he could breathe and get poisoned.

' _I'm sorry,_ _Nausica_ _ä, I failed you.'_  He looked forward. Everything was getting dark.  _'I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Father, Lestella, I'll see you soon.'_

He blinked as he looked at the light again. That wasn't the light at the end of the tunnel. That was light reflecting off something. That something was-

' _Sand!'_

Using the last of his strength, Asbel forced himself to his feet. Everything was getting dark, but the dim glow of the sand was still visible, and he headed towards that. He took a few stumbling steps before making a jump for it. The breath he was holding was forced out as he landed flat on his stomach in the sand.

Gravity took them.

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"Yes, more." Ved hissed. "More!"

The swarm of insects following the ship was getting bigger. Ved smirked as he looked at his army. Yes, his army. As long as he had his little science experiment, he could control them.

"Sire, I must once again advise against this." Ken said.

Ved just snickered. "Advise away. Your words fall on deaf ears."

"Please, sire, just think about what you're doing. This was the backup plan, but it was never supposed to come to this."

Ved sighed. "That's true, If only my beloved Nausicaä would have loved me. Perhaps I should have done away with Asbel in the beginning."

Ken swayed uncomfortably. "S-Sire, I've been thinking, and not just me, but the others as well. Perhaps we should end this charade."

Ved visibly tensed. He turned to the short man, his eyes glaring. "What are you saying?"

Ken's bottom lip trembled. "As good as it would be to have you lead society, perhaps we are making a mistake. We may be dooming our planet. I think you should reconsider you decis-"

"Silence!" Ved snapped. "One more word and I'll have you arrested for treason." He bent down so he was eyelevel with his so-called most loyal servant. "You wouldn't want to join Nausicaä and Asbel in the toxic jungle, would you?"

The color drained from Ken's face. "N-No, sire."

"Good." Ved grinned. "Then order my men to turn the ship around. We're going to crush the Valley of the Wind."

Ken gulped and looked hesitant, but dared not argue. "Yes, sire."

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Nausicaä's eyes began to flicker open. Feeling dizzy and light headed, she looked around, wondering where she was. The last thing she remembered was riding on the Ohmu in the…

Gasping, her hand flew to her face. Her mask was gone.

"Relax, we're safe."

Nausicaä looked down and blushed furiously as she realized that Asbel was giving her a piggyback ride through an oxygen cavern.

"We made it?" she asked.

Asbel nodded. "It was close, but yeah, we made it."

Nausicaä began to struggle off his back. "I can walk."

Asbel let her down and gave her a serious look. "Why didn't you tell me you were almost out of oxygen? I would have given you mine."

Nausicaä gave him a sad look. "That's why I didn't tell you. I didn't want you sacrificing yourself for me."

"Nausicaä, your life is more important than mine. I would gladly sacrifice myself if it meant you would live."

"Asbel, I-"

"Don't, Nausicaä. You're too important. To important to your people, to the world," he lowered his voice, "to me."

Nausicaä wasn't sure if she heard the last part. "What?"

Asbel shook his head. They didn't have time for this. "Nausicaä, listen, while you were out, the Ohmu that was carrying us, it… it…" He didn't know how to put it into words. "Look, I saw Ved's ship flying over the jungle. He's calling the insects. For what, I'm not sure, but it can't be good. We have to get out of here, fast." He held up the two tanks. "I already refilled our oxygen, we just have to hope that we make it to the next cave before we run out again." He hesitated, looking thoughtful. "You know what, maybe I should just stay here and you take both tanks. You'll have a better chance if you have twice as much-"

Nausicaä cut him off. "I am  _not_  leaving you here, Asbel. Either we both make it, or neither of us do. End of discussion."

"Nausicaä-"

"End of discussion! I am not going to leave if you're not with me."

Asbel growled. Why did she have to be so stubborn? "Nausicaä, your people need help. You can't sacrifice them for me."

Nausicaä just snatched her tank away from Asbel and hurried down the cavern. "We're wasting time arguing. I'm not changing my mind, now lets go."

Asbel remained were he was. He was somewhat surprised of how protective of him NausicaäHe was somewhat surprised had just become. And he had forgotten how stubborn she could be. Still, he loved her just the way she was.

"Asbel!"

He was brought out of his thoughts by her suddenly calling his name. Thinking she was in trouble, he ran in the direction she had taken off in. Instead of some unforeseen disaster, he saw her simply kneeling by one of the many piles of sand that fell from up above.

"Nausicaä, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

Nausicaä turned to him, smiling. "Remember how I told you that I've been trying to find the glider I had lost two years ago?"

She brushed aside the sand and Asbel's mouth dropped open. There, half buried, was the glider that had been lost all those years ago.

' _Now that's what I call a miracle.'_  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Surprised? Good. Now, I told you that there was an important factor in a previous chapter. So who spotted it? Yes, it was the glider. It was mentioned in Chapter 3. Nausicaä stated that back when she stopped the stampede of Ohmu two years ago, she lost the glider she had jumped off of when she tried to rescue the baby Ohmu and was still trying to find it. Well, she just found it. Perfect timing. Things are really beginning to heat up now, so don't miss the next chapter.)


	17. The Insect Stampede

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Big news. For those of you, like me, who are big Miyazaki fans, I got good news for you. I just discovered a manga that was done by Miyazaki himself. It's called "Shuna no Tabi" a.k.a. "The Journey of Shuna" It's a short, but great story, and I suggest reading it. It can be found at http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/shuna_no_tabi/. I'm planning on writing a story on it and I'm already brainstorming ideas. I guess you could keep a look out at my profile to see if I do start one. With that said, here's the next chapter. It's really long, but I guess that's a good thing.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 17: The Insect Stampede**

They were coming, just as they had two years ago. The Ohmu were storming towards the Valley of the Wind. And not just the Ohmu, but insects of all kinds were charging forward to destroy all within their path. Not due to a blinding rage of a great injustice, but because a deranged prince who was mad for power was driving them towards the innocents that had refused to accept his lies. Now that they knew the truth, Ved had decided to wipe them out so his lie would never be exposed.

"I have never seen so many insects in my life." Lord Yupa murmured.

For as far as he could see, the insects were coming, by land and by air. They were still a few miles away, but due to the amount, they could still be seen rushing out of the Sea of Decay like a sea of death themselves. A purple light emitted from them as their eyes flickered from blue to red in their state of confusion.

"What are we going to do?" a villager asked. "It's just like what happened two years ago. Only this time there's no way to stop them."

"Don't say that!" another cried. "The princess will save us, just as she did last time."

"The princess is dead. That madman killed her."

"No!" a child shouted, tears pouring down their eyes. "The princess can't be dead! She can't be! Not the princess!"

"Everyone be silent!" Obaba said, talking over everyone. "We must have faith. I believe that the legend will come to pass and bring forth our salvation. We must have faith. We must believe. Nausicaä will find a way."

Though some people looked hopeful, a handful of others still looked terrified.

"But what if we don't survive?" asked one of the doubters. "Even if the princess is alive and the legend does come to pass, what if we still perish here and now?"

Obaba was silent for a moment, deciding her next words carefully. "If that be the case, all we can do is pray that the future will hold less causalities."

That was not what they wanted to hear. Several people began running around in a panic while others embraced their loved ones and wept.

"We must take to the skies!" someone shouted. "Get as many people in the ships as possible and fly away."

Lord Yupa shook his head. "It won't work. Ved has control of the insects in the sky as well. They'll take down all the ships. We can't fight, nor can we run. All we can do is wait and hope."

He turned back to the charging insects. His eyes searched the airborne ones for sight of the Kalvandir ship. Either it was in some safe location away from the insects, or it was hidden in the cloud of flying bugs. He suspected the former; the Kalvandirs wouldn't want to be near the insects while they were in a hostile state.

What Lord Yupa was really curious about was where Ved was. He had a feeling that the Kalvandir prince would be near his little science experiment. Which made him curious about the mutant Ohmu's control over the other insects. How far did its range of control go? If it was limited, then perhaps it was also in the stampede of insects. If it was, and Ved was with it, then perhaps he could somehow get to the Kalvandir prince and eliminate him.

Sighing, Lord Yupa closed his eyes. He really hated killing, but Ved was giving him no choice. It was clear that the prince was mad and would stop at nothing to get his way. He was already about to wipe out their entire kingdom just so he could keep his dirty little secret.

Lord Yupa wasn't stupid. He knew that if Ved was somewhere in that stampede that getting to him would be suicide. He just hoped that he would be able to take down the psychotic prince and put an end to his evil ways, even if it meant losing his life in the process.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

As it turned out, Ved was in the stampede of insects. Towering above the others, even the largest of Ohmu, the mutant insect that he had created was charging with all the others; its normally black eyes flicker red as Ved controlled it.

Lord Yupa had been correct in his assumption about the insect's range of control. It did only reach so far. And the Kalvandir airship couldn't possibly fly in the cloud of insects flying overhead. Ved had been forced to release his little science experiment to keep it close enough to the other insects to maintain control. Once the Valley of the wind was reduced to nothing, the mutant Ohmu would find itself back in its prison.

In the meantime, it was charging with all the others towards its destination. Its antenna rubbed together furiously as it continued to send off electrical signals and sound waves that controlled the other insects.

And Ved needed to be close by to control his mutant insect. He stood atop of his little science experiment, hanging onto the large device drilled into the insect's brain that fed its own electrical currents and sound waves that caused it to behave as it did. In his hands he held a large very complex remote that set the settings of the mind-controlling device. His eyes were fixed ahead on the approaching Valley of the Wind. Everyone and everything would be flattened beneath his insect stampede. Then he would move onto the next closet kingdom and declare himself as the prophesized one, using his control over the insects as proof, just as he had originally fooled the people of the Valley of the Wind. And should anyone defy him, he would have that kingdom trampled as well.

After that, he would have the entire toxic jungle burned to the ground. And with his little science experiment to control the insects, he needn't worry about being attacked by any of them.

"Things are finally looking up." He said to himself with a smirk. "I should have done this to begin with."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Little did Ved know that Nausicaä and Asbel were closing in behind him. They may have caught up with him sooner had it not been for all the deranged flying insects that they constantly had to dodge. Luckily for them the glider was small enough for them to fly through the cloud of bugs. Some of them attacked, but they managed to lose them among the other insects.

"We have to hurry!" Nausicaä cried. "Ved's going to destroy the valley!"

"Don't worry, we'll stop him." Asbel insisted, although he had no idea how.

The seemingly endless flow of insects went on in every direction. The toxic jungle was behind them, but for as far as they could see, the insects were swarming. If only one of them could tell them where Ved was.

"That's it!" Asbel cried.

"What?" asked Nausicaä worriedly.

Asbel didn't bother to explain. "Nausicaä, bring us closer to one of the Ohmu."

"What are you planning?"

"Just do it. Trust me."

Hoping he had some sort of plan, Nausicaä steered the glider towards one of the rampaging Ohmu. To her horror, Asbel jumped off the glider onto the Ohmu as soon as they were close enough to it.

"Asbel, what are you DOING?" she cried.

The Pejite prince ignored her as he grabbed onto the small legs right by the Ohmu's mouth. It took all his strength to hold on as they constantly moved as the Ohmu ran. The constant moving was making him sick, but he was a trained pilot, he knew how to beat nausea.

"Hey Ohmu, over here!" he cried, trying to get the insect's attention. "Talk to me!"

It didn't take long to get the Ohmu to notice him. Golden tentacles shot out of its mouth and wrapped around Asbel. But not in the light caress that it normally did. No, this time the tentacles were rough and aggressive, trying to squeeze the life out of Asbel.

Regardless of the life squeezing tentacles, Asbel got what he wanted as he became one with the Ohmu. The confusion and anger it felt filled him. He knew what he had to do. Kill the humans. Kill them all. Leave not one alive. He didn't want to, but he also  _did_  want to. A stronger force was driving him to do this no matter how hard he tried to resist. He wasn't even sure which part of him was the real him. Was it the part that was demanding that he kill, or was it the part of him that was resisting. Either way, something was telling him that this was what  _must_  be done, like it or not. And that signal was coming from up ahead. Right over…  _there!_

Then the connection broke. Asbel's head cleared as he realized that Nausicaä had somehow freed him from the Ohmu's grasp and was pulling him back onto the glider.

"What were you doing?" she shouted, her eyes full of worry. "Are you trying to get killed?"

Asbel rubbed his head. The connection with that Ohmu had left him with a monstrous headache. No, make that a migraine.

"Asbel!"

He shook his head. "Sorry, but it was the only thing I could think of." His eyes narrowed. "I know where the signal is coming from."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Excitement shined in Ved's eyes as the Valley of the Wind got closer and closer. Nothing could stop him now. Soon the people that had defied him would pay. It was a shame that so many had to die, but sacrifices needed to be. He would make it up by turning this world into a utopia, his utopia. And if people didn't like it, then they could find their own utopia in death.

"VED!"

The Kalvandir prince's eyes widened as he heard his name being called. Turning around, his eyes confirmed what his ears had heard. Flying just a few yards away were Nausicaä and Asbel. They both leapt of the glider and landed on the Ohmu, glaring at him defiantly.

"Stop this!" Nausicaä cried.

Ved couldn't believe his eyes. He rubbed them and looked again to make sure he wasn't seeing things. But he wasn't. Standing before him were the two people he had abandoned in the toxic jungle.

"It can't be." He whispered. Then his voice rose. It's not possible! You're dead! You can't be alive!"

Asbel tore of his air mask and tossed the air tank out of the way. "So you admit that you didn't think we had a chance. That's the same as killing us. Just like you're about to kill the people of the Valley of the Wind."

Ved got over his shock and shook his head. "I am not a murderer. I was not going to kill you, the toxic jungle was. And I'm not going to kill the people of the Valley of the Wind, the insects are."

"But you're making them do it!" Nausicaä shouted. "That's the same thing!"

"I beg to differ."

"Then you have a sick mind! Now stop these insects!"

As Nausicaä shouted at the Kalvandir prince, Asbel's gaze shifted towards the large device buried into the insect's head. It was very large, nearly half his size, and went who knows how deep into the poor insect's head. There didn't appear to be any buttons or switches or anything on it. Then his gaze shifted to the remote in Ved's hands.

"Give us the remote, Ved." He demanded.

The Kalvandir prince just laughed. "No, I don't think so. Besides, you have no idea how to use this."

"We'll figure it out." Asbel said, and charged forward.

Ved whipped out his sword and pointed it at Asbel, stopping the Pejite prince in his tracks. "Don't try it, Asbel. You know you can't beat me. Remember our duels? This time you're not even armed. And any armor you may have will be useless; this is an Ohmu shell sword."

Asbel looked at the sword. As much as he hated to admit it, if he tried to attack Ved, he would be cut down. Ved was a very good swordsman, and, as he pointed out, Asbel had no weapon.

"Please don't do this." he begged. "Just stop this and we can talk it through."

"There's nothing to talk about." Ved insisted.

"You can't kill everyone."

"But I can. And knowing that with their deaths I will be able to lead society into the light will allow me to sleep at night."

Asbel's fists clenched. He wanted so badly to hit the insane prince, but knew that he couldn't get any closer without feeling Ved's blade.

"It's not your place to do that." He reasoned. "That job falls to Nausicaä and the prophesized."

Ved laughed. "And who is this prophesized one? Perhaps it is me. Who are you to say whether I am or am not the one destined to save the human race?"

"Who are you to decide to kill innocent people for your own gain?"

Ved shook his head. "It's for the greater good."

"IT'S FOR YOUR OWN GREED! You're just using the whole 'greater good' things as an illusion to get what you want."

Ved just smirked. "You're words fall on deaf ears, Asbel. And if you have any master plan to stop this stampede, you better use it now," he glanced over his shoulder at the Valley of the Wind, "because we're getting close to the Valley."

Asbel was about to use Ved's turn of the head to his advantage and attack, but Nausicaä beat him to it. She ran right past Asbel and raised her air tank, ready to bring it down on Ved's head as hard as she could.

Ved caught sight of her out of the corner of his eye and dodged the blow. He swung his sword, already having convinced himself that it would be the sword and not him that would kill her so he wouldn't have her death on his conscience.

Nausicaä jumped back and held out the air tank. Ved's sword sliced through it rather easily. There was an eruption of air that threw both prince and princess backwards. When Ved sat up, he saw to his horror that the remote to controlling his insect was smashed.

"No!" he cried. "Do you realize what you've done? Now they'll just keep stampeding! I can't stop them!"

Nausicaä's face took on a terrified expression. She hadn't meant to smash the remote. If that was the only way to stop the insects, then she just doomed her people.

"Then we have no choice." Asbel growled, turning is attention to the device buried in the insect's head. "We have to smash it."

He ran towards the device and slammed into it as hard as he could. He gasped in pain and rubbed his sore arm. The device hadn't even moved or dented. What was it made of? Not Ohmu shell, but definitely some kind of metal.

Nausicaä repeated his action, slamming into the device, accomplishing nothing. She then began hammering it with the cut in half air tank, hoping to make some sort of damage.

"You're not stopping them!" Ved cried. He stood up and looked at the two of them with a crazed look in his eyes. "It took us years to create that device and to get it working perfectly! You're not destroying it now!"

He charged at them, sword raised. He stabbed forward and the two of them jumped back at the last minute. Ved's sword cut straight through the device and remained buried in it. Sparks crackled and smoke began rising as the device took on internal damage.

The mutant insect stopped in its tracks and wailed loudly. It began shaking itself violently, like it was in pain.

Asbel and Nausicaä laid flat on their stomachs, keeping a firm grasp on the insect's plated shell. Even then they nearly got thrown off. Ved, on the other hand, had been standing, holding onto the sword buried into the device. He went flying off the insect's body and landed on the ground, right in the path of a stampeding Ohmu. He wasn't even aware of the danger before the giant insect trampled over him, followed by another and another until there was nothing left of the Kalvandir prince.

The mutant insect finally stopped thrashing around, but it continued trembling. Its antenna stopped moving in the fashion Ved had commanded it to move them in, but continued rubbing together. The other insects stopped stampeding and began moving around in a state of confusion as they received mixed signals from the mutant one.

"Nausicaä, you ok?" asked Asbel. He felt dizzy from the Ohmu's violent movements.

Nausicaä sat up, daring to let going of the Ohmu's shell. "I think so. Where's Ved?" her eyes settled on the smoking device. Though it was damaged, it was still sending signals to the insect. Who knew how it would react? "You know what, forget about him. We have to get that thing out of the insect before it does something unpredictable."

"I got it." Asbel replied.

He ran over to the device again and slammed into it, just as he did before. At least this time it budged. Nausicaä noticed the movement and went over to help.

"Let's see if we can pull it out." She said.

She and Asbel got a grip and pulled as hard as they could. The device rose slightly and the insect wailed in pain.

"Keep going!" Nausicaä cried.

But Asbel let go. "It's not going to work like this." He removed the sword from the device. "Sorry about this." he said sincerely to the insect.

He stabbed the sword into the Ohmu's hard shell and began carving around the device. Nausicaä continued pulling on the device, trying to pull it out. The device began to come out and blood sprayed out of the gaping hole, bathing the two humans. The insects wailed loudly and shook itself again. Both Asbel and Nausicaä held on for dear life until the insect stopped its violent movements.

"You ok?" Asbel asked.

Nausicaä wiped the blood off her face and nodded. "I'm fine, don't stop."

They began again. Asben shoved the sword into the device and pushed down, trying to force the device up and out. The device came out some more and the insect cried and shook itself again. This time Nausicaä was unable to hold on due to the blood making her grip slippery. She didn't fall off the Ohmu completely, for that would have been a long drop, but tumbled down its side before she managed to grab onto one of its plates.

"Nausicaä!" Asbel cried, abandoning his attempt to remove the device.

"I'm fine!" he heard her cry. "Just help the insect!"

"But-"

"Help it before it goes wild again!"

Reluctantly, Asbel turned back to the device and began pulling on it. The blood made it slippery and difficult to get a grip, but he still felt it move. From the amount it budged, it felt like it was nearly free.

"Almost there." He said through clenched teeth.

The device came out some more and the Ohmu jumped, rearing back on its hind legs. The movement caused the device to finally come free and it went flying. Unfortunately, Asbel went with it.

"ASBEL!" Nausicaä cried, watching him go flying, and disappearing behind an Ohmu.

Regardless of the height, she let go of the plate she was holding onto and landed on the ground. Grunting in pain, she immediately got to her feet and ran in the direction she saw Asbel fly in.

' _Please be ok, please be ok.'_  She silently prayed.

But when she reached him, she saw that he was not ok. He lay motionless on the ground, crushed beneath the device that had been buried in the insect's head. His own red blood mixed with the insect's blue blood, making a purple mixture.

Nausicaä ran to him and knelt by his still form. "Oh no, please no." she whispered. "Asbel, please wake up."

She felt for a pulse. But to her horror, she couldn't find one.

"Asbel," she whispered, "you can't die. You can't. I… I…"

Something touched her shoulder. She turned around to find the mutant insect looking at her. Its eyes were black again, indicating that its fury had subsided. In fact, all the insects' eyes had turned to their normal color, and they were all watching her.

Nausicaä's mouth opened and closed as she tried to speak. The mutant insect's tentacles came out of its mouth; they were more of a reddish copper color rather than gold, and they lightly brushed against her forehead.

There was a flash of light as insect and human minds merged and a memory surfaced.

" _She's got a baby Ohmu!" a man gasped._

" _The insects have bewitched her!" exclaimed another._

_Then a gentler voice said, "Hand it over, child."_

_A young girl with red hair tied in pigtails clutched a baby Ohmu to her chest protectively. "No, it hasn't done anything wrong."_

" _Insects and humans cannot live in the same world. You know that."_

_The Ohmu was pried from the girl's hands and carried off. The girl could do nothing but cry and beg. "Don't kill it! Please don't kill it!"_

Nausicaä's eyes were wide as she recognized the memory. But then it changed once again as a new memory surfaced.

" _I said I want it!" a young boy demanded._

_The man holding the baby Ohmu gave the boy an uncertain look. "Prince Ved, I don't think you should get too close to it. You know how dangers insects are."_

_Young Ved stomped his foot. "But I told you where to find it! If it wasn't for me, Nausicaä would still have it! I deserve some reward! Now I want that Ohmu!"_

_The man sighed and turned to the man standing behind Ved. "What do you think? He's your son."_

_The other man looked at the young prince. "Why not let him have it? It's not like it can harm anyone right now. Besides, having an insect around might be useful. We Kalvandirs have been trying to find to… make contact with the insects for awhile."_

The memory changed to yet another unfamiliar one.

_Pain. It was unbearable. But it had been all it had known for so long. And its body was changing. Not the way it should be, but in an unnatural way that was not meant to be. And they were doing something to its head again. It made it think strange thoughts, thoughts that were not its own, and make it want to do things, things it didn't want to do._

" _How's the progress?" asked one of the men._

" _Progress is all we can hope for." Said another. "But yes, we are making progress. Its body is changing as we want it to. Now we just have to make sure it continues down that path."_

_More pain._

The memory ended as the connection was broken. Nausicaä looked at the mutant insect that had once been an Ohmu with wide eyes.

"You were the Ohmu that I took care of as a child." She whispered. "The one they had taken. It had been Ved that ratted me out."

The Ohmu made a moaning noise, which seemed to snap Nausicaä out of her trance. She turned back to Asbel, her worry for him coming back now that the connection between her and the insect had been broken.

"Ohmu," she said, addressing the mutant insect, "please, save him. Save him as you did me. I love him. I can't live without him. Please don't let him die. Bring him back to me."

The insects remained motionless, and Nausicaä feared that they wouldn't help. But the tentacles came out of their mouths and reached for her and the fallen prince. They lifted the two humans in the air as their tentacles began to glow with a gold light, giving them life energy. Their wounds began to heal, but Nausicaä didn't even notice as she looked into Asbel's lifeless face. She watched in amazement as his eyes began twitching.

She wasn't the only one watching with a look of awe. Everyone in the Valley of the Wind watched just as they had two years ago as the insects worked a miracle and restored life.

Slowly Asbel's eyes opened. He looked confused for a moment as he looked up at Nausicaä. "Lestella?"

Nausicaä shook her head. "No, it's me."

Asbel blinked and his vision became more clear. It was indeed the princess he had come to love so much. "Nausicaä." he whispered. "I saw her. I saw my sister. And not just her, but my father too. And your parents." He gave her a smile. "They wanted me to tell you that they're very proud of you."

Tears ran down Nausicaä's cheeks and she reached for his hand, squeezing it tightly. "Thank you, Asbel. And thank you for coming back."

Asbel squeezed her hand back. "Nausicaä, I don't know if it was real or not, but I thought I heard you say something." He looked like he was trying to remember something. "I remember, there was the feeling of me floating away, and just before I saw my family and your parents, I heard you say something to the insects about me." He looked at her, his eyes full of hope. "What did you say?"

Nausicaä lips trembled, but they twisted into a smile. "I told them that I love you, Asbel. And I do."

With his free hand, Asbel reached up and rested his hand on her cheek. Nausicaä leaned into his touch, more tears flowing. Asbel smiled at her and said, "I love you too, Nausicaä. I always have."

Pure joy lit up the princess' face and she leaned in, pressing her lips against his. The insects lifted them up higher as their golden tentacles shined brighter than the sun. When the two finally broke apart, Nausicaä helped Asbel to his feet.

"Come on, lets go home." She said.

Still holding his hand, she pulled him gently along as they descended the golden tentacles. Their clothes were torn and stained blue with the mutant insect's blood, but they were both smiling radiantly.

Back in the Valley of the Wind, the people watched as the prince and princess approached. Lord Yupa stood by Obaba's side, his eyes seeing what hers could not as he spoke.

"' _After a thousand years of darkness he will come, clad in blue and surrounded by fields of gold, to restore mankind's connection with the earth that was destroyed. And he will guide the people of this planet, at last, to a land of purity. But he will be influenced by the darkness that humanity has fallen into and in need of a guide. He will follow the one that walked the golden road before him. She shall be his soul mate and guide as he leads the people into the light. And together, they shall join bonds with the great earth'._ "

"It has come to pass." Said Obaba, her blind eyes pouring tears of happiness. "This time you shall be my eyes, Lord Yupa. Tell me what I need to hear."

The sword master smiled. "Yes, Obaba. It is true. Both Nausicaä and Asbel are clad in blue, descending on fields of gold. And Nausicaä is leading him. It has finally happened. Asbel is indeed the prophesized one, and Nausicaä is his guide." His own tears of joy escaped from his eyes. "The legend has now truly come true."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: The story's not done yet. Still got one more chapter left. It should be up tomorrow. Yes, it is the epilogue, but I guess you sort of knew that. Anyway, who liked this chapter? I guess you knew that Asbel was the prophesized one since the beginning, or at least since Ved revealed his true colors. So give me some reviews and I'll get you the next chapter. Oh, and a strongly suggest reading that manga I told you about at the beginning. It's a good story.)


	18. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

It has been three years since then, and already much progress throughout the world has been made. Things really started coming together at Nausicaä and Asbel's wedding. People from all around the world, from royalty to peasants, attended the wedding of the prophesized one and the Guide. Royal family members met other royal family members and began talking and getting to know each other. Even after the wedding, communication remained. Ideas were shared and help was given to everyone from everyone. Differences were set aside and friendships were made. Even among the Kalvandirs. Once their prince was gone, all his mad ideas died with him, as did his people's loyalties. Even the Pejites and the Tolmekians slowly got over their differences. Very slowly, but it was progress.

Of course, it wasn't the wedding alone that brought everyone together. Many people came to Nausicaä and Asbel, seeking advice and putting their faith in them. Knowledge was shared as well as their understanding of the insects and ways of the toxic jungle. Therefore hostility between human and insect decreased greatly. Trust slowly built up and there was no longer immediate violence or constant fear of the insects. People stopped trying to destroy the toxic jungle and put their faith in nature, believing that nature will indeed heal itself and the planet. More and more often, people were venturing into the toxic jungle, no longer fearing the insects, and the insects began venturing out of the toxic jungle, daring to approach the humans.

As for Nausicaä and Asbel, things finally began to settle down. After lots of work helping people who came from all over the world, peace slowly returned. Of course, their assistance was still seeked out, but the hardest and most tiring parts were over.

Right now Asbel was currently sitting atop one of the many windmills in the Valley of the Wind, enjoying the peace as he watched the sun setting behind the toxic jungle. Life was good and peaceful, and he couldn't be happier. His only regret was that his father and sister hadn't been able to see this time of peace. Them and Nausicaä's parents of course.

Someone approached from behind him, but Asbel didn't even need to look to know that it was his beloved wife. Arms wrapped around him from behind and he smiled, reaching up to take her hand.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Asbel sighed happily. "Just enjoying the view."

Nausicaä smiled and sat down beside him. "I always loved sunsets. Sunrises too. They give me a feeling of serenity." She leaned against him. "As do you."

Asbel kissed her hand and began gently caressing it. "I never knew what true happiness was before I met you. It was a hard path, but now I couldn't be happier."

Nausicaä smiled. Boy was he going to be surprised. "I've got something to tell you that  _will_  make you happier."

Asbel chuckled. "Oh yeah, and what's that?"

Nausicaä leaned in to whisper in his ear and told him three words that  _did_  make him happier than he had ever been. "Asbel, I'm pregnant."

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Aww, isn't that sweet? And so ends yet another one of my Ghibli stories. Thank you everyone who read and reviewed. I hope you enjoyed it. Here's your last chance to review and to give me an overall view of the whole thing. I look forward to your comments. See you next time, whenever that will be. So long!)

**Author's Note:**

> (A/N: The first chapter is done. I know the first part was a recap on the movie, but it's like that with a lot of my stories during the first chapter. By the way, how do you like the way I changed Nausicaä's roll in the prophecy. Her responsibility is now just as great, perhaps even greater than the true prophesized one. She will be their guide. That's a pretty important job. Without her, there will be no prophesized one. But who is the person the legend speaks of. That won't be revealed for awhile yet. So tell me what you think, and I'll see you next time.)


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